Parallel Lives
by iamacliche
Summary: Sequel to "Of Monsters and Meddling Kids." When Velma invents a way to access multiple universes that run parallel to our own, Daphne and Fred find themselves trapped in a world far from their own, and together, they must journey through many horrifying paths as they try to find their way back to the universe they call home. Rated T. STORY IS FINISHED - Please rate and review!
1. Chapter 1

**Author Note: Hey everyone, I am back with a brand new story! I hope you enjoy this one - I am really excited about this concept!**

**A few notes to preview the story in-depth:**

**1\. This takes place just a little after the ending of my other story, "Of Monsters and Meddling Kids," so Daphne and Fred are still a couple, and there may be some allusions to the plot and characters within that story.**

**2\. While this story does begin from Velma's POV, it will primarily be told through first person/Fred's POV, so look for that to change in the rest of the story. It will probably bounce back to Velma's periodically, or at least, that is the plan for now.**

**3\. This story was inspired by the idea of Schrodiner's Cat, and the idea that there are hundreds of parallel lives and alternate actions that branch off from one moment. It will be explained more in depth later on in the story.**

**4\. The story is rated T for teen as of now - just to be safe.**

**And I think that is everything! Again, I really hope you enjoy this new story. As always, I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read and review my work! - iamacliche**

**Chapter 1**

Velma Dinkley loved science.

She loved everything about science: she absolutely loved being curious and asking questions, she loved taking those inquiries and positing them into a single hypothesis, she loved swamping into uncharted or undeveloped areas of study, and she loved attempting to secure tangible, concrete answers in the form of data and statistics and studies upon studies upon studies. She loved the arduous task of interpreting her results, and even when the results didn't work out in her favor, she loved the process of starting over, of opening a fresh, crisp new notebook so she could articulate where she should reconsider a method or a variable. But above all, Velma thrived for those occasions when her hypothesis proved correct, when all the sweat and tears and time spent away from solving mysteries with her friends was rewarded with the exact answer she was seeking. On those occasions, Velma felt as though her whole life had culminated in that single, golden moment: her heart would hammer in her chest and her toes would tingle and her breathing would become staggered and her mind would start spinning, as if all of her senses had merged, and for one delirious, perfect moment, Velma would feel as though she was doing _exactly_ what she was created to do, as if some deity or higher power had carved out this role specifically for her.

So it wasn't a surprise that Velma was still working in Coolsville High School's main science lab five hours after school had concluded for the day. Aside from when she was solving mysteries alongside her friends, Velma felt most relaxed when she was working in a science lab. The instant Velma walked into the lab she could always feel the tension leaving her body as her shoulders relaxed, and she would involuntarily break into a grin as she would bounce around the lab, prepping her station and assembling the materials she would need for the day. No matter what was happening in Velma's personal life, whether it be a particularly baffling or terrorizing mystery, drama with her best friend, Daphne Blake, or frustration over how to handle her developing crush on her friend, Shaggy Rogers, Velma knew the science lab would always be her one consistent safe haven.

Velma was cheerful as she worked tonight, and the fondness and appreciation she felt towards the science lab was heightened as she worked. She inhaled deeply, smiling as she relished the sterile scent of the science lab, which was currently laced with the musty smell of the green liquid that bubbled within the six translucent test beakers she was carefully observing. The table beside Velma's work station was cluttered with dozens of loose notebook papers containing her tiny, block letter handwriting. This would feel disorderly and chaotic to anyone else, but disorganized was just the way she liked it: she often joked that it was an accurate reflection of her state of mind. The poster of the periodic table hanging on the wall was curled at the edges as a result of needing more tape, the paint on the walls had started chipping years ago, and the fluorescent lights hummed and flickered occasionally, especially during late evenings, but none of this mattered to Velma: this lab was her second home.

She glanced at her watch; her left foot was tapping in anticipation of the results the beakers would potentially yield within the next ten minutes, and her mouth was practically salivating at the thought of how her findings could radically change the future of the human race, and –

"Like, hey Velms, there ya are! Scoob and I have been lookin' everywhere for ya!"

Velma jumped, startled when she heard her friend Shaggy Rogers speaking from behind her. She turned to face the lanky, skinny young man, who was walking beside their Great Dane, Scooby Doo. When Scooby saw Velma, his tongue lolled out of his mouth, and he rushed forward to lick her cheek, slobbering all over her lab coat in the process.

"Okay Scooby, okay! It's good to see you too," Velma laughed, gently pushing the dog away with a smile. "You two scared me! I must have been so absorbed in my work that I didn't hear you guys walk in."

"We've been lookin' everywhere for you!" Shaggy said again, his eyes twinkling as he spoke. "I can't believe you're, like, still here! School got out hours ago!"

Velma's eyes darted toward the clock on the wall, and she cringed when she saw that it was 9 PM sharp: she had accidently stayed past the school's curfew. _Again_.

"Wow, I can't believe I stayed past school curfew again," Velma groaned. "But I'm almost done and if I end now, I'll lose all of my work. I'll have to leave once I'm finished up here."

Shaggy's eyebrows furrowed together. "But Velma, we thought ya might wanna join us at Sherry's Diner for some milkshakes tonight before ya head home. Maybe you could, like, take a break and come grab a bite to eat with me and Scoob? Fred and Daphne are studying for a history test together at Fred's house, so it'll just be the three of us!"

Velma's breath hitched in her throat and her palms began to sweat when she realized the possible implication of Shaggy asking her to join him at Sherry's Diner, just the two of them; sure, Scooby would be there, but he was their dog, and besides, Shaggy never had never asked Velma to go somewhere before with just the two of them.

Before Velma could respond, she saw Scooby sniffing in the corner of the science lab, freezing as he stared up at a giant, eight-foot cube the color of gunmetal. He paused in front of square shape cut into the cube, which mimicked the appearance of a door.

"Rock rock, whose there?" Scooby knocked his front paw against the door, giggling at the tinny sound that echoed beneath his paws.

"Like, man! What is this thing, Velms?" Shaggy asked, his eyes wide with childlike wonder and his voice dripping in astonishment as he gazed up at the cube.

Velma hurriedly grabbed Scooby by the collar, pulling him away from the cube and shoving him towards Shaggy. "If all goes well tonight, you'll both find out soon enough! But honestly guys, I just really need you to both leave so I can complete my tests for tonight, and before Scooby has a chance to break something in the science lab. I'll see you both tomorrow."

As soon as Velma spoke she cursed herself, flinching at the way her own voice sounded icy and cold, but Shaggy merely nodded, as if he understood. "Like, okay Velma, if you say so – sorry for buggin' ya. Come on, Scooby old pal, let's go to Sherry's for some milkshakes on our own!" And before Velma could stammer out an apology for being so blunt, Shaggy and Scooby turned and exited the science lab.

Once the door slammed shut behind Shaggy and Scooby, Velma felt a pang of guilt for the way she had blown off Shaggy's invitation to go to Sherry's. She could practically hear Daphne's voice now: _"How is he supposed to know that you like him if you shoot him down and make excuses to avoid him all the time?!" _she would ask, exasperated, _"And why don't you at least give him the time of day?!"_ And of course, Daphne would be right; after all, there was no need to be so abrupt and brush Shaggy off as though he was a bug beneath her shoe. But Velma was never one for social cues, especially in the midst of a science experiment, and –

Velma's thoughts were punctured by the sound of the green liquid fizzing out of the test tubes and pooling onto the smooth surface of the table. Swearing under her breath, she frantically rushed towards the tubes, gathering what product remained in each of the six tubes and dumping them into a one larger cylinder shaped beaker. Once the liquids were combined into the cylinder she moved quickly, her motions fluid as she flowed from the table with the test tubes to the cabinets at the back of the science lab, retrieving a plastic syringe tucked out of sight in from the cabinet drawer. She slammed the cabinet door, syringe in hand, and briskly retraced her steps back to the table with the cylinder containing the green fluid. Once she was standing before the cylinder again she didn't hesitate to insert the syringe into beaker, and she watched the fluid filter slowly into the syringe as she pulled the cap back. She paused when the syringe was completely full and tapped the side of the syringe with her nails, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves.

Next, Velma retrieved a silver dish from beneath the cabinet, and flushed the contents of the syringe into the dish. Once she could no longer see the bottom of the dish, she grabbed the dish and moved to a table positioned near the gunmetal colored cube that Scooby had been sniffing. There was a blanket covering a boxed shaped object placed on top of the table. Velma removed the blanket, revealing a small shiny cage containing a white colored mouse, who blinked its tiny eyes at Velma once the blanket was no longer covering the cage.

"Hey little guy," Velma cooed. She unlatched the door of the cage and reached her hand inside, stroking the mouse's round belly soothingly. "Are you ready to help me out with something important?"

Velma picked up the silver dish again and carefully placed it inside the cage so that it was placed directly in front of the mouse, who didn't hesitate to lean into the dish and drink greedily.

"Good boy," Velma tutted, marveling at how seamlessly everything was going thus far. Velma tried not to think about the fact that this was the farthest she had successfully obtained in her research thus far, and she tried to ignore the way her palms and forehead felt sticky with sweat and the way it felt as though a fist was clenched inside her stomach. Instead, she focused on the mouse, who had drained the dish of the fluids, and was now struggling to keep its eyes open as it withdrew into a drowsy, furry little ball.

Once the mouse was completely still, Velma pulled him from the cage and walked towards the cube, keeping the mouse cupped carefully in her hands as she moved. She heaved her shoulder against the heavy door of the cube, and sighed with relief when the door finally began to groan as it opened bit by bit. After the door was opened, Velma walked into the cube, pausing to admire the iron walls and the floor of the cube, which were the same gunmetal color as the exterior. It had taken Velma all four years during her time spent at Coolsville High to persuade the school board to approve the funds for this cube, and now that she finally obtained it for her senior year, she was ready to prove that her work was valuable and worthy of the money.

Velma drifted towards the middle of the cube and stopped when she was in the center. She leaned down and gingerly placed the sleeping mouse on the pristine floor. "Happy trails, little guy," Velma whispered. She paused for a moment, rooted in place as this moment which would prove her hard work was becoming more concrete and tangible. When she noticed the mouse's eyes begin to blink slowly Velma finally moved, propelled by the adrenaline and anxiety pumping through her veins as she quickly walked out of the cube. She slammed the door and listened as the vault latched in place behind her, then she set the timer on her watch and reminded herself to breathe as the seconds ticked by noiselessly.

At five minutes on the dot, Velma inhaled and held her breath. _It's now, or never, _she told herself. _Come on, Dinkley – let's see if this was a flop, or a success._

Slowly, Velma walked towards the door of the cube, and again shoved her shoulder against the door until it opened, slowly and stubbornly. She took one hesitant step inside the cube and blinked when she saw that it was empty – the mouse was gone.

Velma stood, unmoving, her gaze sweeping over the inside of the cube to confirm that the mouse was indeed missing and not hiding somewhere. A minute later Velma finally allowed herself to feel the relief flood through her body. Overwhelmed, she dropped to the ground and fell on her knees. Her smile stretched so wide that it was hurting her face, and her vision was blurring as her eyes flooded with tears.

"I – I don't believe it," Velma stammered. "It – it worked! This is going to change the world!"

She couldn't wait to tell the world all about it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Boy, you won't believe what happened to me today!" Daphne Blake exclaimed, her red hair bouncing around her shoulders as she slid into the passenger seat of the Mystery Machine. "Just take a wild guess!"

I couldn't help but grin as I listened to my girlfriend speak; whenever she was bursting with giddiness over a story or something exciting that happened, her enthusiasm was contagious.

"I don't know, Daphne. Tell me what happened today," I replied. I turned the key in the ignition, and when the van roared to life, I began driving out of Coolsville High School's parking lot. The school day had just ended, and we were both anxious to go to Daphne's house for dinner before we had to run back up to the high school later this evening to watch our friend Velma unveil her new invention in front of the entire town.

"Weeell, Mr. Anderson was supposed to assign our class a final test in science today, but we all talked him into waiting another day!" Daphne beamed. "Want me to tell you how it happened?"

She plunged into telling the story without even waiting for a nod from me in response, but that was one of the many things I loved about Daphne; when she was eager to tell you a story, her excitement was palpable. Her face would split into a wide, beautiful smile, and the words would tumble from her mouth, as if she couldn't speak quick enough because she was going to literally burst from excitement. Most of our afternoons after school were spent this way, with me driving us home as I listened and smiled while she spoke about her day, but I wouldn't have it any other way: life was good as long as we were together.

In fact, things in general in my life were really good right now: sometimes I paused just to marvel at my own luck. Daphne and I had started dating a couple months ago, after we finally confessed our feelings for each other, and even though we were both afraid at first, it brought us closer than ever. Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby were still our closest friends, and we still enjoyed solving mysteries together as a team. My parents were busy working overtime lately, so even that was good because they weren't on my case about my grades and asking me what I was going to do with my life after high school. The only problem I had was that this was all going to end sooner rather than later. The gang and I only had one more year of high school left, and I could feel the time slipping through my fingers like sand. I knew that each passing day meant fewer mysteries solved with the gang, fewer moments spent driving us all around in the Mystery Machine, and fewer moments listening to Daphne's stories after school.

Reflecting on all of this pulled me back to the present moment, and it hit me again that each passing school day meant I was losing these stolen moments spent with Daphne. As I continued driving towards her house, I gazed at her out of the corner of my eye, wanting to record every single moment so that when high school ended I could reflect back on this memory and play it back like a grainy. old black and white film. I found myself admiring the way Daphne's hands gestured animatedly as she spoke, and the way her red hair was highlighted by the sun streaking through the window, and the way she was staring at me now, her eyes glazed with concern, and the way her mouth formed a question that I didn't hear, and her hand reached out to smack my shoulder playfully, and –

"Ah! Hey, why did you smack me?" I asked Daphne, a mischievous grin playing on my lips.

"Freddy, are you okay?" she asked gently. "I've been talking for a while and it doesn't seem like you're listening. Is something on your mind?"

I felt a pang of guilt when I realized that I had gotten lost in my own thoughts and concerns over how time was slipping away while Daphne was talking again. It seemed to happen often lately, especially when I was with Daphne or Velma or Shaggy, and I couldn't help myself: my worries for the future sometimes tugged at my ankles and pulled me in like the rising tide, and sometimes it felt as though I was drowning in my anxieties. Daphne was waiting for her school of choice to accept or deny her for journalism, Shaggy was already accepted into culinary school, and Velma was receiving numerous offers from ivy league schools daily; meanwhile, I had yet to apply to a single school because I had no idea what I wanted to do with my future. Truth be told, my grades were average at best, and even if they were decent, mystery solving was the only thing that made me feel as though I had any purpose in life. But how was I going to tell my friends that when they all had their futures extended before them like endless reams of crisp, blank paper? I intrinsically knew that they already felt guilty about the unspoken inevitability of breaking up Mystery Inc., in the near future, so why should I make them feel guilty for moving on with their lives while I had nothing going for me, aside from solving mysteries? So I kept my mouth shut whenever I was feeling this way: I didn't want them to feel like they had to remain tethered to me here in Coolsville, solving mysteries forever. I couldn't risk derailing their futures just because I was directionless and lost.

By now I had reached Daphne's house, so I pulled into her driveway and put the van in park, then swiveled to face her so that we were staring at each other face-to-face. To a point, Daphne had an idea of how I was feeling lately, so I knew I couldn't get away with lying to her completely.

I slowly twirled one of her loose red curls around my pointer finger and smiled. "Yea Daph, I'm okay. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to daydream while you were talking. I guess I was just realizing that these days spent together after school are limited, and I'm just really gonna miss being here with you every day."

At my response, Daphne's facial features visibly softened. Her fingers grasped the hand I was twirling her hair, and she leaned forward to kiss me gently on my cheek.

"Oh Freddy, you know we'll still see each other all the time!" she exclaimed lightly, her voice sounding airy as it rose a few octaves, which often happened when she was attempting to be optimistic. "And we will always be together and have small moments together like this one, no matter where life takes the two of us. But let's not worry about that for today; Velma's invention is being revealed tonight, and I can't wait to see it after waiting all this time!"

I knew that Daphne didn't want to dwell on the possibility of not being together every day relatively soon, so I resolved to follow her lead and put it out of my mind for tonight as well. We unbuckled our seat belts and slid out of the Mystery Machine, all the while discussing Velma's mysterious new invention that she would be unveiling tonight at Coolsville High School in front of the school and the city at the tail end of the science fair. Velma had created tons of interesting inventions in the past, but this one had us all especially intrigued. Not only had she invested a lot of time on this particular invention, but she kept adamantly insisting that this could have major implications for people everywhere.

"It can't be a teleportation machine," Daphne speculated as we walked towards her front door. Just before we walked into her house, Daphne reached her hand into the mailbox perched on the side of the door, and when she withdrew her arm, she was clutching a stack of letters that had been waiting for her family inside the mailbox.

"No, I don't think it's a teleportation machine, either. Velma always says that those are a waste of time, for whatever reason." I said as I slid my feet out of my shoes in Daphne's expansive foyer. Every time I stepped into the Blake's gorgeous home, there was always something new to admire about her family's beautiful house; today, it was the new crystal chandelier dangling from the ceiling in the foyer. It was no secret that the Blake family was the wealthiest family in town, but that didn't mean that Daphne fit the stereotypical mold of a spoiled, snobby rich kid, which was one of the things that drew me to her when we first met. She was modest and humble about her upbringing; she never made anyone who had less feel like a smaller person.

And perhaps best of all, Daphne never sneered or looked down on mystery solving as something juvenile or foolish, which I think shocks a lot of people when they look into Mystery Inc.'s individual upbringing and background. In fact, I still remember what she said to me the day that I met her in 9th grade. We shared the same English class, and somehow, our teacher had designed a seating chart so that we sat right next to each other. At the start of class one day, Daphne breezed into class and took one look at my tattered, ragged copy of a mystery novel I was devouring, and she said, "Wow, that was one of my favorite books. I totally did not see the bank robber being the gardener in the end." I sat there with my mouth gaping open like a fish, and I didn't even care that Daphne had spoiled the end of the novel for me. Then she smiled and sat up straight, listening raptly to the teacher's lesson on _To Kill a Mockingbird, _and I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to leave the classroom when the bell rang because I was so sure she had caused me to melt into my seat. That moment not only was the start of our friendship, but if someone unfurled a paper scroll containing a timeline that chronicled our time as friends and forced me to indicate the exact moment when I knew I had feelings for her, I would point at that moment during class, when she first turned to me and smiled, her lips painted with bubble gum lip gloss, and spoiled how one of my favorite mystery books ended.

"Maybe Velma invented something that produces endless amounts of food, kind of like that kid's book, _Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs,_" Daphne laughed, as we walked into the Blake's family kitchen. We both pulled up a seat at the dining table, and Daphne began to shuffle through the stack of letters, absent-mindedly scanning the return address labels as we spoke. As she worked through each piece of mail that didn't interest her, she would toss each envelope over her shoulder and watch it flutter onto the Blake's sleek, black and white tiled kitchen floor. "If Velma somehow manages that, then she'll kill two birds with one stone: she could end world hunger, and she would gain cool points with Shaggy and Scooby for feeding them endlessly until the day they die!"

"I don't know, Daph," I chuckled. "I think that even if Velma invented something like that, Shaggy and Scooby would still act like they were starving all the time. In fact, those two are always – hey Daph, is everything all right?"

I stopped speaking after Daphne, who was staring at one letter grasped firmly in her hands, had begun trembling. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened as she slid the letter across the table to me and tapped her nails against the return label pasted in the corner of the thin white envelope.

My breath hitched in my throat when I glimpsed the letter: I recognized the logo to her dream college immediately.

"Oh Freddy, I think it's a letter about being accepted or denied," Daphne breathed, her voice hardly audible. "The return label is listed as the school's admissions office. I'm almost too nervous to look at it!"

My heart was hammering in my chest and I felt just as nervous as Daphne, but I knew I couldn't let it show. Instead, I took both of her hands in my own and smiled. "Hey now, you have no reason to be nervous!" I exclaimed. "I have no doubt in my mind that it's good news. They would be crazy not to accept you! Now, go ahead and open it so we can celebrate!"

Daphne nodded gravely and gingerly picked up the envelope. She stared at it for a few seconds before she finally slid a shaking pinkie finger along the flap, causing the envelop to tear, and I felt myself leaning forward as if I was drawn magnetically by the contents of the letter, and as she removed the single piece of paper from the envelope, I felt my heart rate accelerate and my breathing became choppy, and I tried to dismiss this obscure idea I had heard from someone that thin college admissions letters meant rejection letters because they were brief, and –

I saw Daphne's eyes scan the letter and watched her hands tremor and her eyes widen, and the letter slid from her fingers and onto the kitchen table.

"What is it?! What does it say?" I asked excitedly, but Daphne remained still. Nervously, I reached for the letter and read, "Dear Daphne Blake, Congratulations on your acceptance for the fall semester…."

Cold relief washed over me as I processed this news. "Oh my gosh Daphne, you got in!" I yelped, and a second later we both jumped from our seats and flew into each other's arms. I swung her around in a circle, right there in the middle of the Blake's kitchen, and kissed her. I could feel her smiling beneath my lips, and it made me smile to see her so thrilled.

"Wow, I can't believe this!" Daphne exclaimed when I finally set her down. Her cheeks were flushed pink, and I could see her eyes pooling up with tears. "Hang on, I think my parents are upstairs – I have to go tell them the good news!"

As Daphne scrambled out of the kitchen and pounded up the stairs, she started yelling, "MOM! DAD! GUESS WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" A few seconds later, I could hear whooping and hollering from her parents, and I could hear Mrs. Blake screaming, "My baby is going off to college next fall!"

As the Blakes cheered and congratulated Daphne upstairs, I sat at the dining table again, and I became aware of the anxiety building up inside of me. Even though the smile hadn't wavered from my face since Daphne had opened her letter, I was reminded of the apprehension I felt on the way home earlier today. My heart squeezed in my chest, and I wiped my sweaty palms against my thighs. Things between the gang and I were already beginning to shift and change slowly, like the subtle signs of grey storm clouds rolling in on a bright and sunny day.

I truly was so ecstatic for Daphne and my friends, but I knew there was no celebratory moment containing a college admissions letter for me. So where did that leave me, and what did that mean for my future?

And what was going to become of me when my friends and my girlfriend all left Coolsville, and I would become just a shrinking figure in their rear view mirror?


	3. Chapter 3

**Author Note: Hey everyone! To make up for taking awhile to update this, I am posting a lengthier chapter this time around. I am really proud of this newest chapter, and the story as a whole as it is developing. As always, I would appreciate any reviews!, so please feel free to leave some feedback! Thanks to everyone who is currently following and favoriting this story. I hope you enjoy! - iamacliche**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

"Like, man! I am super excited to see Velma's new invention!" Shaggy exclaimed with a smile. It was a few hours after Daphne received her acceptance letter, and I was standing in the long line that snaked around the side of the school entrance with Shaggy, Daphne, and Scooby. The four of us could hardly contain our excitement; as we waited in line, we would bounce on the soles of our shoes with apprehension and glance at the front of the line to gage how much longer it would be before we entered the school.

"Raybe she rinvented something rith food!" Scooby speculated dreamily, licking his lips and salivating at his own suggestion.

"Like Scooby old buddy old pal, that would be amazing!" Shaggy agreed. Daphne discreetly shot me the kind of smile you share with someone when you have an inside joke or a secret. She recently told me that Velma has a crush on Shaggy, and anytime Shaggy spoke about Velma in any capacity, Daphne was eager to rush to the conclusion that Shaggy felt the same about Velma, as well.

"Hey Daphne, congrats on getting into your dream school!" shouted a senior girl from our class, who waved and smiled at Daphne as she skirted past us in line. In response, Daphne beamed and returned the wave: this was already the fifth person who had congratulated Daphne since the gang and I had been waiting in line.

"Wow, news sure does travel fast!" Shaggy whistled. "Like, Daphne, congrats again by the way! That is, like, so cool!"

As Shaggy and Daphne spoke animatedly about their futures and dorm rooms, I awkwardly turned away from them as I felt my cheeks flame with embarrassment. Not for the first time, I wished that I could contribute something meaningful to the conversation, my own face flush with excitement and eyes glittering with hope, as I would join them in bemoaning topics such as all the things I would need to buy for a dorm room and test scores and clingy parents who weren't quite ready to let go. But then I felt jolted by my selfish attitude: I knew this was a happy time for the gang, and I really was overjoyed for them. Lately, it was as though my life was like sucking on a caramel hard candy still wrapped in foil; in theory, the candy tasted sweet, but there was always this barrier there preventing me from enjoying the experience fully.

Luckily for me, the line had quickly filtered into the entrance of the school, so we were next in line to buy tickets, which ultimately halted Daphne and Shaggy's conversation. As the gang and I reached into our pockets to fish out our school ID for free entry, the short, scruffy man in charge of admission spread his palms before us to stop us from entering. "Uh uh, sorry kids," he said, shaking his head as he eyed us. "But your _dog _is not allowed to enter tonight."

"ROG? Where?!" Scooby asked, whipping his head around as if he were perplexed about who would dare to bring a dog to a school science fair.

"Right there!" The man cried, thrusting a chubby finger in Scooby's face. He turned to Shaggy. "Sorry pal, but rules are rules."

"Hey man, don't you think you could make an exception?" I asked, stepping forward in an attempt to reason with him. "Scooby isn't just any regular old dog, he – "

Shaggy put his hands up to interrupt me. "Like, Fredster, don't even worry about it. The man is right – rules are rules. We'll catch up with ya later."

"But Shaggy!" Daphne protested. "You're going to miss – "  
"No worries, Daph," Shaggy said, winking at us discreetly when the man shifted his attention to the next person in line. "We don't want to cause a scene, like, right Scooby? _Scoob and I will see you in a bit._"

Daphne and I shared a grin, both of us mentally translating Shaggy's words as if he spoke in a language only we understood. Shaggy had been forced to sneak Scooby Doo into various different locations using various different disguises, so we knew to expect Shaggy soon, with Scooby in tow disguised as Shaggy's uncle or grandmother or some other obscure family member.

As Shaggy and Scooby walked back towards where the Mystery Machine was parked, Daphne and I flashed our school ID and walked into Coolsville High. Bright, colorful signs that pointed guests to the school gymnasium were taped on the walls of the hallways, but there was a huge crowd of people surging towards the gym, so even if someone was unfamiliar with the layout of the school, it was hard to be confused about where the event would take place. Daphne and I allowed ourselves to be swallowed up by the crowd, and we were jostled by the people around us as we drifted slowly into the gym.

Despite the wall of sticky humidity that smacked us in the face when we walked into the gym, the atmosphere was tinged with a mix of excitement and apprehension. People were spread out throughout the entire gym and grouped together in clusters, and everyone was smiling and talking enthusiastically, causing the gym to echo with laughter and conversation. At the front of the gym was a giant platform, which was a makeshift stage for the night, and rows and rows of silver metal chairs intended to seat the audience faced the stage. Immediately, my eyes wandered towards the stage, where an eight-foot-tall, square shaped object was swathed in a black velvety sheet; surely, whatever was hiding beneath the sheet had to be Velma's latest invention. I felt a shiver snake down in my spine as I realized that we would all know about this secret invention in just a few short minutes.

Daphne balanced on her tip-toes as she scanned the crowd. "I can't find Velma anywhere!" she said. "Do you see her? I was really hoping we could congratulate her before the science fair starts!"

Before I could even respond, I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. Daphne and I both turned, and we found ourselves face-to-face with Velma. Daphne squealed with delight and immediately drew Velma in for a hug.

"Oh Velma, I am so so proud of you!" Daphne exclaimed, releasing Velma from the hug so she could stand back and smile at our friend. "This is so amazing! It's so exciting to see all of your hard work finally paying off!"

"Daphne's been talking about this non-stop all day!" I said, stepping forward to envelope Velma in a congratulatory hug. "We just know this is going to be a huge moment for you! Congrats, Velma!"

Velma beamed and blushed, obviously touched by our praise. "Awww, shucks guys! Thank you both for coming tonight!"

"Are you kidding me? We wouldn't miss this for the world!" Daphne exclaimed.

Velma glanced around suddenly, her eyebrows furrowed together and her forehead creased. "Hey, uh, where are Shaggy and Scooby?" she asked, visibly anxious.

"Oh, they should be here any minute now – Scooby got caught trying to sneak into the school, so Shaggy is disguising Scooby so they can sneak in," Daphne explained.

Velma's face seemed to fall for a moment and she slouched forward slightly, as if she had crumbled with disappointed, but a second later she re-straightened her posture and the smile returned to her face. "Oh, okay. Well, if you see them, tell them I'll have to catch up with them in a bit. I have to go prepare for the presentation, so I'll catch up with you all afterwards!" We exchanged a chorus of "good-byes!" and "good lucks!" as Velma waved to us and walked towards the platform.

"We should probably go find a seat now if we want to get a good spot," Daphne said, and we wordlessly ambled over to the rows and rows of silver folding chairs, and selected two seats in the first row. I settled into my chair, wincing at the cold and unforgiving metal seat, and Daphne draped her purple blazer across the length of the two seats beside her to save a spot for Shaggy and Scooby.

Daphne turned to face me, her eyes forming a question that I was afraid I wouldn't be able to answer. "Freddy, is everything okay? You seem kind of quiet and distracted today," she pointed out gently.

I paused, taking Daphne's hand into my own and giving it a quick squeeze. "Yeah, of course I'm okay!" I smiled in what I hoped was a reassuring manner. "I'm just so proud of you, you know that, right?"

Daphne smiled, but her smile seemed bittersweet, as though it was tinted with sadness. She opened her mouth to speak, but then her eyes widened as she stared at the space behind me. "Oh. My. God." she breathed. "They have really outdone themselves this time."

I spun around to see what Daphne was talking about and I almost exploded with laughter at the sight of Shaggy walking towards us, with Scooby Doo walking on his back legs beside him. Scooby was dressed in an oversized yellow floral dress that pooled around his knees, and a delicate white hat was tilted onto his head so that it covered his floppy ears. As they walked, Scooby was waving eagerly at anyone who even glanced in their direction, and I noticed his brown paws were covered in white lacy gloves.

"Like, hey guys!" Shaggy greeted us. Daphne removed her blazer so Shaggy and Scooby could claim their spot. "Like, you remember my sister, Sugie, right?" Shaggy gestured towards Scooby as the two plopped clumsily into their seats.

"Shaggy!" Daphne cried. Her face broke into a smile, and I could tell she was struggling to suppress a laugh. "Scooby does _not_ look like Sugie! This will never work!"

As if the universe wanted to prove Daphne wrong, a group of people strolled by us, and they all cried out greetings to Shaggy and "Sugie" as they walked towards their seats.

Shaggy smirked at Daphne, obviously pleased with himself. "You were saying?" he intoned playfully.

Daphne threw her hands up in the air. "Ugh! I can't believe that actually worked!" she laughed.

We all jumped at the sudden sound of a high-pitched squeal crackling throughout the gym. On the stage, Prinicipal Williams tapped his finger against a microphone. "Test-test-test, is this thing on?" he spoke into the microphone. "Oh, I believe it is working! On behalf of the Coolsville High School science department, welcome everyone! At this time, I would kindly request that you please start making your way towards your seats, as Velma Dinkley is ready to unveil her newest invention!"

The gym exploded with the sound of chairs scraping the floor and people hushing children as everyone rushed to fill the metal chairs facing the platform. On stage, Velma was seated beside the covered square shaped invention. When she saw the gang and I staring at her, she smiled, her face radiating when her eyes drifted towards Shaggy, and she timidly waved at us. Shaggy's face broke into a grin, and Daphne elbowed me in the side, raising her eyebrows and smirking in Shaggy's direction as he gazed upon Velma.

"Welcome everyone," Principal Williams spoke into the microphone again once everyone was settled into their seats. "And thank you all for coming out tonight to see one of our own bright students present her newest invention. I think we are all eager to see Ms. Dinkley's newest creation, so I won't waste too much time introducing her, especially since most of Coolsville is familiar with Velma and her friends from Mystery Incorporated!" Here Prinicipal Williams paused, and shot an appreciative smile in our direction, before he continued, "For those of you who aren't as familiar with Velma Dinkley, she is a senior at Coolsville High School, and for years, she has impressed all of her teachers and her peers with her intellect, both inside the classroom with her various projects and inventions, and outside the classroom, with her impressive resume of solving mysteries alongside her friends. Ms. Dinkley has also caught the eye of various ivy league schools, and she receives impressive full ride scholarships almost daily, which is no surprise to anyone who knows Ms. Dinkley well. Over the past few years, Ms. Dinkley has sunk a lot of time and effort in this new invention, and tonight, she is finally prepared to unveil it to the town. Without further ado, I present to you, Ms. Velma Dinkley!"

The gym burst into a smattering of applause and cheers as Velma rose from her seat and crossed the stage. She shook hands with Principal Williams, who clapped her proudly on the back as he exited the stage. The gang and I stood on our feet in support of our friend, our smiles so wide that I thought our cheeks would crack.

Velma stepped towards the microphone and lowered the stand so that it was adjusted to accommodate her shorter height. "Wow, thank you for that generous introduction, Principal Williams!" Velma exclaimed, smiling as she took in the crowd before her. "And thank you all for that warm reception! It truly is an honor to stand here before all of you, my friends and fellow neighbors. As Principal Williams said, this invention is near and dear to my heart. I have relentlessly pursued this invention for the better half of my high school career, and I am pleased to have the opportunity to share the fruits of my labor with you all today."

Velma removed the microphone from the stand and clasped it in her hand, and began to pace around the length of the stage as she continued, "Before I begin, I would like to pose a question to you all: who in here has ever wondered what would have happened had you done something differently in life? For instance, let's say you were offered two jobs; perhaps one was safer and paid the bills, but the other was your dream job. Now, for the sake of this scenario, let's pretend you went with the job that was more stable, but for years afterwards, you wallowed in the 'what-if's,' constantly wondering and considering what would have happened had you gone a different route. Who in here can relate to this feeling?"

Velma paused, and hands shot up in the air in response to her question, including my own. I glanced at Daphne and Shaggy and Scooby, and I felt myself flinch in surprise to see their own hands raised, too. Daphne turned to look at me and jumped, as if startled, too. Nervously, we grinned at each other, as the rest of the gym chuckled lightheartedly, as well.

Velma beamed. "From my observations, it looks as though every hand in this auditorium was raised, and if your arm wasn't raised, then I would say you are a liar!" Velma winked to indicate that she was joking, and the audience laughed good naturedly as everyone lowered their hands. I twisted my hands together in my lap, suddenly anxious for some unexplainable reason. As if she could sense this, Daphne reached over and intertwined her hand in mine, and her thumb traced tiny circles against my hand.

"For years, it has been human nature to constantly look back and question what would have been if we had only walked a different path," Velma explained. "This has been a prominent theme in art and literature alike: Robert Frost pondered and speculated what awaited him in 'The Road Not Taken,' and in _The Bell Jar, _we see Sylvia Plath's protagonist, Esther Greenwood, view her life as a fig tree branching off with endless options and possibilities for her future, and Esther laments that she struggles to choose only one path for her life."

As I listened to Velma, my heart had begun to knock against my chest and my breath hitched in my throat: I was hyper-aware of the fact that what Velma was saying applied all too well to my own life as of late. I squirmed in my seat and arched my back against the hard back of the folding chair. Sensing my discomfort, Daphne gave my hand a squeeze again, and I attempted to still myself so she wouldn't worry.

"We all know there is no way of ever finding out what would have awaited us had we chosen another route, but what if I told you that it is now possible to discover what you missed had you chosen a different option?" Velma said, smiling as if she had a secret she was ecstatic to share with us all. "To understand more clearly what I am saying, picture this: imagine yourself as a fish, swimming in a pond. In your mind, that pond you are swimming in encompasses your entire universe. Now, imagine that someone standing over the pond reaches down and lifts you out of the pond. As you rest in the palm of this person's hand, you can see your pond, but you also see other ponds scattered around you, too. It's then that you realize that when you thought your pond was the only single universe, you were mistaken, which is illustrated by the other ponds that pool around you. Essentially, all of the other ponds are just as real as your own world, existing separately from your own experience, right at this moment. As you consider this, you are overwhelmed with the realization that you are part of a much larger reality than you could have ever hoped and dreamed."

The gym was silent as everyone listened intently and processed what Velma was saying. I held my breath, waiting for Velma to continue.

"Ladies and gentleman, I have invented a way to access the other ponds outside of our own fish aquarium," Velma announced. She moved towards the giant object covered on stage beside her and took the black velvety blanket into her hands, and removed it with one flick of her wrist. The audience gasped collectively as we all stared at an eight-foot cube that was the color of gunmetal. The steel exterior reflected the harsh yellow stage lights, which dimmed as Velma continued to speak.

"Allow me to clarify further," Velma said. "My invention was based off the idea of Schrodinger's cat, which is a famous thought experiment. In this experiment, picture a cat, a vial of poison, and a radioactive source sealed in a box. Imagine that the vial of poison is released, thus poisoning the cat. However, this experiment explains that there are two simultaneous results: in one theory when we open the box, the cat is dead, but in another, when we open the box, the cat is indeed alive and well. The experiment explains that both are possible because the cat is both alive and dead, meaning that there are two separate, parallel universes existing with two completely different outcomes. In other words, just before we open that box, the moment branches like a tree, or in the eloquent words of Robert Frost, there is a fork in the road. One road reveals the dead cat, and the other, the living, breathing cat."

My skin felt as though it were tattooed with goosebumps as I listened to Velma and tried to comprehend all the other different versions of my life that presumably existed right now had I moved from Coolsville when I was young or never met my friends or never decided to form Mystery Incorporated. Daphne tapped my shoulder and I leaned towards her so she could whisper in my ear, "Freddy, I want to support Velma, but for some reason I can't explain, this is making me nervous."

"So if the world splits or branches into a fork in the road during any given moment," Velma continued, "that means there is an unimaginably infinite amount of universes – sort of like a multiverse – where everything that can happen, will happen. If we return to the scenario with the two job offers, then this ultimately means that we have a universe containing the moment when you accept the stable job, and a universe existing that witnesses you taking the dream job, both containing distinct outcomes. With this box," and here Velma gestured towards the overwhelmingly large cube, "I have made it possible to see all of the different universes available. This box collapses every universe so that you can access the multiverse and see what would have happened had you chosen a different branch."

A man in the audience raised his hand to indicate that he had a question. "I think I'm confused," he said. "Is this like time travel? Will we be able to go forward and backward in time with this invention?"

"No, this is not time travel," Velma clarified, "Although it is something akin to time travel because this is a portal to other worlds that may look radically different from our own. This will allow anyone to access another universe at the same exact point and moment as our own, so each universe runs parallel to this exact moment. I say that it will feel like time travel though because it is essentially a glimpse into another life, sort of like a window or preview to what could have happened had we walked down the other fork in the road instead of the one we are familiar with in our own world. Perhaps it will make more sense if I show you. Principal Williams, would you be willing to bring me the mouse?"

Principal Williams wheeled a cart onto the stage containing a cage that secured a white mouse and a dish filled with a green liquid. "Thank you!" Velma smiled as Principal Williams returned to his seat. She nudged the mouse towards the bowl, and he began to slurp away loudly. In a matter of just a minute he had emptied his bowl and was now still inside the cage. Velma reached inside and removed the mouse, calmly holding him in the palm of her hand.

"This mouse has digested the drug necessary to access the multiverse," Velma said. She pushed the door of the cube with her shoulder, and it groaned loudly after she struggled for a few minutes. "Next, I will place him inside this box, which acts as the door to each individual universe." She disappeared inside the cube and emerged again a minute later, slamming the door behind her with a loud thud. "The cube is soundproof, airtight, and puts out a strong magnetic field. This is the creation I have toiled with for years in creating, alongside the drug that temporarily alters the functioning of the brain in a safe manner. The drug kicks in within a matter of seconds, and my calculations show that it wears off after ten minutes. Once those ten minutes are up, the animal – or person – who has digested the drug can literally open the door to the new universe they have been transported into."

Velma glanced at her watch. "Well, let's check on the mouse and see if it worked!" she said. She walked back towards the door to the cube and heaved it open again, and disappeared inside once more. When she walked back out the threshold of the door she faced the audience, and pointed inside the cube, "The mouse is gone and has been transported to another universe! See for yourselves!"

The gymnasium echoed with the sound of chairs falling to the ground as people stood and observed the missing mouse with their own eyes. My heart was knocking behind my ribcage as I processed what this meant for all of humankind.

A woman rose her hand with another question. "Do you plan to use this on humans soon?" she asked.

Velma blushed. "Weeelll, the thing is, I actually have yet to try this on a human being," she admitted. "For now, I have primarily used mice, but my hope is to send this cube and the drug to scientists who are more equipped to use this responsibly. But my hope is that soon this cube will be accessible for all common citizens, and that we can use it to determine how to decide on important life decisions; who knows, maybe one day this will help us learn how to prevent worldwide famine and suffering, and we can finally have world peace!"

Principal Williams bounced onto the stage and took the microphone from Velma. "Wow, you have truly outdone yourself, Velma! Everyone, let's give Velma a round of applause for this ingenious invention! Coolsville is so proud of you, Velma."

As everyone screamed and cheered and clapped, my head was spinning while I considered the implications of Velma's box. "Maybe if I talk to Velma, I can see how to fix my life so that I can set myself up for a successful future, like the rest of the gang," I thought hopefully. "Or maybe there is a parallel universe where I'm happier."

The crowd of people began to disperse, some filtering out of the gym and others surging towards Velma to pepper her with questions and praise. Shaggy and Scooby informed Daphne and I that they were going to meet us at Sherry's: we had plans to celebrate with Velma over ice cream after the science fair ended. They rushed out of the gym hurriedly, Scooby tripping over the floor length dress as they raced towards the exit, but I remained rooted in my seat while my mind was racing and dreaming of the vast amount of worlds that existed outside of my own.

Suddenly, I felt Daphne tug on my shoulder, and I jumped, startled to see her sickly and pale face. "Daph! Are you okay?" I asked, reaching out to take her hand in mine.

Daphne paused, pursing her lips into a thin white line. "I need to get some fresh air," was all she finally offered, and she pulled me out of my seat and lead me out of the auditorium.

* * *

"Are you feeling better now, Daphne?"

I felt Daphne sigh as she laid curled against my side, and I ran my fingers through her hair reassuringly. It was almost two hours after Velma's science fair, and after we had stumbled out of the school, we wandered onto the football field and eventually found ourselves lying intertwined together in the middle of the expansive football field, quietly observing the sliver of the moon hanging in the sky above as we held each other. We had passed the last two hours ensconced in comfortable silence, but my mind still dwelled on what could have possibly made Daphne feel so unwell at the end of Velma's presentation.

Daphne raised her head from my chest so she could look at me. Her face was bathed in the silvery light of the moon, and I saw her midnight eyes reflected with worry, as they had earlier.

"I mostly feel fine now, Freddy," Daphne replied. "Thanks for asking. I guess I was just anxious about Velma's new invention. It makes me feel overwhelmed and nervous to think about how all these different universes are existing alongside our own, right now as we speak."

I continued to comb my fingers through Daphne's hair, but I didn't say anything, as I wanted to savor this moment of being wrapped up together in the football field. It felt so peaceful being out here with only each other: in the distance Coolsville High School was dark, as the lights had blinked off a half hour ago, indicating that everyone had gone home to their own beds for the night, and the parking lot was completely empty. Shaggy and Velma had both texted us, asking when we would join them at Sherry's diner, but Daphne and I wordlessly agreed that this time we were spending tangled together on the football field was what we both needed right now.

Finally, I broke the silence between us, saying, "I dunno – I think it could be cool. Like Velma said, haven't you always been curious about how your life would have turned out had you gone in a different direction?"

As I was waiting for Daphne's response, my neck twitched and goosebumps coated my body as the hair on my arms raised, and I felt uneasy, as though someone was watching us right now. I leaned on my elbow, causing Daphne and I to disentangle our limbs, and I glanced all around us, but no one emerged from the pitch black night to meet us.

I shrugged, dismissing this odd feeling, and I turned back to face Daphne, who was sitting up now, her knees drawn against her chest.

"In theory, I can see how the concept of seeing your life mapped out in another way is appealing," Daphne conceded, but she spoke softly, as if she was afraid of upsetting someone who would disagree with her. "But how do we know that we want to see how life could have turned out for us had we gone a different route? I like to think that everything happens for a reason; I'm not necessarily religious or overly optimistic, but it feels nice to think that the universe has a plan for us."

"I don't know that I understand what you're saying," I admitted. Again, this feeling of apprehension and uneasiness returned, and my scalp tingled and my arm was covered in goosebumps. Doing my best to appear calm so Daphne didn't think I was crazy, I again surveyed our surroundings, but we were completely alone: I didn't even see any squirrels or birds playing in the trees nearby. Coolsville was completely still as everyone slept beneath their covers, content and safe.

"Well, look at it this way – what if one road or event in your life didn't happen, and that was a good thing?" Daphne reasoned. "For instance, you once told me that your dad had seriously considered a job offer that would have required you guys to move when you were a kid. What if he had decided to take that job and leave Coolsville? You would have never met the rest of us, and we wouldn't be here together right now, let alone dating. What if a universe like that exists out there?"

I paused, because I honestly hadn't considered this: Daphne had a solid point. I sat up straight and spread my legs apart, and then I pulled Daphne against me so that her back reclined against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her waist protectively, so that I was holding her from behind, and I kissed her neck once, gently, then whispered in her ear, "Well, you don't have to worry – if there is a universe out there where we aren't together, then I don't want anything to do with that world."

She turned to face me and smiled then, and I marveled at the fact that I had finally eased her worries for a bit. We started kissing for a bit, passionate, as though hadn't seen each other in weeks, but the mood was killed when I felt the goosebumps raise the hairs on my arm again, and I broke away, scanning the perimeter of the football field for any sign of being watched.

"Fred, what is it that you keep looking for every few minutes?!" Daphne asked, clearly exasperated. I couldn't blame her; my uneasiness was clearly unfounded, and I had been distracted multiple times for various reasons during our conversations all day.

"I can't explain why, but for some reason I keep getting this creepy feeling that we're being watched," I said, still sweeping my eyes in every direction.

"_Maybe that's because you are being watched," _rasped a feminine voice from behind us.

Daphne and I both jumped and flew apart from each other like shrapnel. We quickly scrambled to our feet and spun to face the two figures standing behind us. I could feel the adrenaline slamming through my veins as I noted the black ski masks covering their faces, and the way both people were dressed in head to toe with black jeans and a long, black sleeve t-shirt.

I tucked Daphne against my waist as she gasped, and I attempted to steady my nerves: I had to be brave for us both, and especially for her sake. "Who are you and what do you want with us!?" I demanded coldly.

The duo threw their head back in laughter and narrowed their eyes into slits through their ski masks, regarding Daphne and I coolly. "Don't worry about who we are," returned the other figure, his voice sounding deeper and more masculine. It was hard to guess since both people were cloaked in black, but I guessed that we were staring off with a man and a woman based on the sound of their voice.

"Just listen to what we have to say, and no one will get hurt," the female added.

"Oh yeah?! And just what is it that you want to tell us?" Daphne snapped.

As if they had been waiting for us to ask, both people reached for their back pocket, producing a gun, which they quickly aimed in our direction.

Daphne screamed, and we both raised our hands as if surrendering to their will. "Okay, we'll do what you want!" I yelled. "Just don't hurt us!"

As I stared at the two people before us I could only focus on the silver barrel of the gun, as if I had tunnel vision. My heart was hammering in my chest and my entire body felt as though it were coated in a thin sheet of sweat. Judging from Daphne's sickly pale complexion, I knew she felt as terrified as me.

The two people thrusted the gun towards us, and I shivered. "Start walking!" the female barked. "We're going into the school, so c'mon!"

Daphne and I marched slowly and hesitantly towards the school with the two jabbing the butt of their gun into our back periodically to remind us that they had the upper hand, which would always cause Daphne to whimper. As we drew closer and closer to the entrance of the school, I was busy plotting how to run away. Obviously, my main concern was seeing Daphne run away safely. I considered turning so suddenly that our captors would be caught off guard, which would give me the advantage in a fight or confrontation, but two against one was risky, and I didn't want to involve Daphne with guns being factored into the equation. I could always scream at her to run like hell, but I knew she would never go for leaving me behind and would insist on fighting alongside me. Maybe I could –

"I know what you're thinking, Fred," the man suddenly interrupted my stream of consciousness. "You're thinking about fighting us, but don't even try it: we would be one step ahead of you. And I know you're worried about keeping Daphne safe, too, and I can't guarantee that if you decide to be a hero and fight us."

"And I know you're thinking about fighting too, Daphne, as if you're some big bad ass after you took down Shaina and her zombies a while ago," the female mocked. "But don't even try it, or you – and your boyfriend – will be sorry."

As our captors forced us to open the entrance of the school and walk inside, my already speeding heart accelerated even further, and a shiver ran down my spine. How did they claim to know exactly what we were thinking, and even more chillingly, how were they correct about it? One thing mystery solving had taught me was that more often than not, victims who were assaulted or even terrorized by a person in a mask often shared some sort of personal connection with whomever had wronged them. I fleetingly wondered if our captors were somehow friends of ours, but the only two close friends we both had in common were Shaggy and Velma and Scooby, and we both knew their voices distinctly, and it didn't sound like them. But then why was I having this strange feeling that we had met this couple somewhere before?

After the four of us were inside the school, Daphne and I paused, obediently but unwillingly awaiting further instructions. "Well, what next?" I asked, too afraid of the answer, but morbidly curious, as well.

"Head to the gymnasium." The male ordered gruffly. Daphne and I exchanged a look, but the duo jabbed the butts of their guns into our back again.

"No funny business! Keep moving!" the female barked, and we trudged all the way into the gym with the barrels of the silver guns pressed against our back. I could feel a pool of sweat widening beneath my shirt that had started exactly where the gun was pushing into my spine. I wondered what these people wanted with us to the point where they felt the urge to make us comply with violence.

As if reading my mind, Daphne boldly asked, "What do you want with us? Are you planning to murder us?"

"If you comply, I promise we won't have to resort to violence, but we will shoot if we have to," the female responded. "And I can't say exactly what we want from you, but you will find out soon enough."

When we finally emerged into the gym, it felt as though we had been here years ago instead of merely hours ago – our random kidnapping aged the night that dramatically. The silver folding chairs used to seat the audience earlier were gone, and our shoes squeaked against the recently swept and scrubbed gymnasium floor. The only remaining trace of tonight's festivities was Velma's cube, which stood in the middle of the gym as if it had been neglected, the same way a toy is discarded and abandoned on the day after Christmas.

"Okay, get to your knees, both of you!" The man snapped. Quickly, Daphne and I obeyed, and I winced from the impact of my knees hitting the hard gymnasium floor.

The duo reached into their other back pocket, producing a small vial filled with green fluid. "Okay, you need to drink this," the female instructed. She stepped towards Daphne as she spoke, and the two locked eyes, both daring the other to back down first. "If you don't do it," the woman continued, "then blondie over here gets it."

A lump rose in my throat as I watched Daphne grasp the vial. "Daphne, wait!" I cried. "Don't do it – you don't know what that is and it could kill you! Don't worry about their threats against me!"

"Listen to me, Daphne, or I mean it – blondie over here is gonna be pumped full of lead!" The woman screamed, aiming her gun in my direction for good measure.

Before I could reason with Daphne again, she looked at me, her eyes clouded as she struggled to hold back tears, and she smiled softly before she tipped her head back and downed the liquid in one full gulp, as though it was an alcoholic drink at a local dive bar. Immediately she pitched forward, frozen, and the vial tumbled out of her hand and rolled away from us on the gymnasium floor.

"Oh my God, Daphne!" I cried, crawling over to her so I could cradle her in my arms. Her eyes were shut and her lips were ashen, but when I squeezed my hand around her wrist I could feel her pulse thumping beneath my fingers, although it was relaxed, as though she was asleep.

"You're both monsters!" I screeched, looking towards the couple as I yelled and continued to cradle Daphne's limp body against mine. "What did you do to her?!"

"Hey buddy, if it's any consolation, you're going to join her in a minute!" The man said, stepping forward to extend a similar vial filled with the same green fluid Daphne had digested moments ago. "Drink up, and don't ask questions. It may not seem like it now, but everything is going to turn out just fine."

I was torn between attempting to fight and overwhelm them both and imploring Daphne to wake up so that I could see that she was truly fine, but the guns were still trained in my direction, and I felt as though my options were limited. I didn't know what the man had meant when he implied that Daphne and I would be together soon enough, but they did promise we weren't going to die as long as we complied. Besides, Daphne had potentially risked her life for me after downing that vial like it was a fizzy soda pop; if she was willing to risk her life for me, I had to trust that maybe that everything would work out.

Hesitantly, I tipped my head back and drank, and immediately felt my mouth pucker in response to the bitter liquid, which burned like a trail of fire as it slid down my throat. Instantly, my ears began to ring and my vision was spotting, and black spots began to dance before my eyes, expanding larger and larger and larger until I couldn't hold myself up any longer, let alone Daphne, whom I gently placed on the ground so that she laid stretched on the floor beside me.

As my eyelids began to slowly lower, I glimpsed the duo towering above us, and I heard them snicker as they watched me fade away.

"Bye, Fred," the man taunted. "We hope to never see either of you again."

And then everything faded to black.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Jinkies! Fred, Daphne, is that you?!"

Velma's voice jarred me out of my slumber, and my body recoiled as if cold water had been dumped onto my face. My eyes flickered open to the sight of Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby hovering over me, their faces just inches away from my own. I groaned, my head throbbing like a heartbeat, and squinted my eyes against the fluorescent lights, which felt as blinding as the sun. I was lying on my back, which ached from resting against a hardwood floor. I have never been hungover before, so I can't say I know how that feels, but if I had to guess, I would say that the way I was feeling right now was a pretty accurate depiction.

Beside me, I heard a soft moan, and I turned my head to see Daphne lying stretched out beside me. Her eyes were narrowed into slits, and she slung her arm over her face, presumably to block the lights from burning her eyes, too.

I felt groggy, as though I had just emerged from a deep sleep. I slowly pushed myself onto my elbows, but the effort was laborious because my body felt heavy, like lead. As I sat up, I glanced at my surroundings, and I realized that we were in Coolsville High School's gymnasium. "Shaggy? Velma? Scooby? What's going on?" I asked, my voice sounding weaker than usual.

"Like, dude, you tell us," Shaggy murmured, "What happened to you guys last night? We heard your parents were, like, frantic because you both went missing."

And then it all came rushing back to me: watching Velma unveil her new invention, sneaking out to the football field with Daphne after the science fair ended, being interrupted by two people –

And being forced, at gun point, to walk into the gym and drink something that had knocked out Daphne first, then me.

Daphne must have remembered just as suddenly too, because her eyes widened and she jolted upward, and instinctively, we both turned to each other and clutched each other's hands tightly, silently asking each other if our kidnapping had actually happened.

"What is going on, you two?" Velma asked, her eyebrows furrowed together with confusion.

"Oh Velma, it was horrible! After your science fair ended last night, these two people forced Fred and me into the school gymnasium at gun point." Daphne recalled, her face paling as she recounted what happened.

Velma gasped; Shaggy and Scooby yelped, and Scooby jumped predictably into Shaggy's arms, shaking.

"Like, ZOINKS!" Shaggy yelped. "Is she joking, Fred?"

"I hate to say it, but it's true!" I confirmed. "And we didn't even see who it was because they were covered from head to toe!"

"Are you guys okay? How do you feel right now?" Velma asked.

Daphne and I exchanged a look, as if we were collectively deciding how to respond.

"I mean, I feel okay, considering everything that happened," Daphne said hesitantly. "But I feel really shaken up."

"Fred and Daphne! Thank goodness, it looks as though you've been found safe and sound!"

The five of us turned towards Principal Williams, who was standing in the threshold of the gymnasium door. He was smiling wider than usual as he stared at us.

"It's good to see you guys all together, too!" He laughed, giddy as a child. "Now don't spend too long catching up in the gym – the school day starts in 20 minutes! And Fred, good luck during the game tonight. I know there's a lot riding on this one tonight, but Coolsville High School is proud of you!"

Before any of us could respond, Principal Williams turned and walked away, whistling as he moved. I was stunned; during my time on the school football team these past few years, Principal Williams had never praised me and singled me out as a significant player. Sure, I was certainly decent, but usually the school fawned over other guys who were faster and stronger than me.

Velma and Shaggy and Scooby shifted nervously, their eyes darting around the gym. It felt as though they were suddenly disinterested or bored, or mentally preoccupied with somewhere they had to be soon. A minute stretched by without anyone speaking, and for the first time in our friendship, I genuinely felt uncomfortable around the gang, as though I was meeting a stranger for the first time.

Finally, Daphne stood on her feet, and she reached her hand out to pull me up to stand beside her.

"Well, since it looks like you guys are okay, I suppose we better get going," Velma said, although her voice wavered a bit, and she sounded uncertain, as though she was asking a question and not making a statement. "I don't know why someone would you attack you guys, Fred and Daphne, but I would mention it to Principal Williams later. Perhaps it was someone from school."

"Yea, I gotta scram, too. I have to take Scoob back to my place before school starts in a bit here," Shaggy added hastily. "And we haven't even eaten breakfast yet, and we're like, starving!"

"Rah-rah!" Scooby nodded his head vigorously, but like Velma and Shaggy, his eyes were also roving around the room erratically.

Velma and Shaggy and Scooby's underwhelming response to all of this made my breath stutter. I felt as though I was standing before a ghost during one of our mysteries: the hairs on my arms began dancing, and I felt simultaneously cold and hot as my body began to sweat.

"But Velma, I was just about to say that it looks like we have a mystery one our hands!" I cried, perplexed and exasperated. "We all know how this goes by now!"

"You guys don't find it odd or suspicious that someone tried to kill Freddy and me last night?!" Daphne agreed, just as confused as me. "I think this is shaping up to look like the start of another mystery for us!"

Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby all took a step away from us, reeling as though Daphne and I had punched them in the jaw. The three of them exchanged looks, as if they were deciding what to say.

"Guys, after everything that has happened with us lately, I really don't know if that is a good idea," Velma finally said, speaking much more gently this time. "But really, good luck figuring things out. We'll see you guys around sometime."

Before they could say anything else, Shaggy and Scooby waved, walking swiftly out of the gym before Daphne or I could say anything else. Velma began to follow them, although she would pause and look back at Daphne and I as we stood together, bewildered. After glancing back over her shoulder a fourth time, Velma finally spun on her heels and rushed back to where we were standing, although she moved rapidly, as though she would regret returning to us if she paused to think about it.

"You know, I have to admit, I was surprised when both your parents texted me this morning to ask if I had seen either of you recently," Velma spoke quickly, the words tumbling out of her mouth quickly. "I was surprised they thought I might know where you guys could have been since last night at the science fair was the first time I've seen you both in such a long time. I know that things have been awkward between all of us lately, but in spite of everything, I do still hope that you guys are okay." And before either of us could respond, Velma turned around for the final time, resolute, and marched out of the gym.

For a full ten seconds Daphne and I stood, unmoving. My mouth had involuntarily dropped, and Daphne shook her head slowly.

"What. The. Hell." Daphne finally muttered, her eyes welling up with tears. "Why do I feel like we just got dumped by our best friends? What is going on? Did something happen while we were kidnapped?"

I shook my head, unsure of how to respond. "I don't know, Daph, but I feel just as hurt as you do right now. But I'm confused – it's not like Velma to turn down a mystery, and even though Shaggy and Scooby aren't the bravest guys, they're always down to unmask a villain with us."

"I think the real mystery will be finding out what's going on around here," Daphne mused, swiping the tears from her eyes with the palm of her hands. "What was Velma talking about just a second ago? She's my best friend, and we see the rest of the gang all the time: we've hung out tons of times before last night's science fair!"

I nodded, and said, "Principal Williams said some weird things, too. Remember how he said it was good to see all of us together again? He acted like it's been awhile since he's seen us all as a group. And why did he wish me luck on the game tonight? He's never acknowledged me as a football player before!"

"If school is starting in a bit, we must have been knocked out all night," Daphne surmised. "We should go to class, and see if we can figure out what is going on as our day continues. Maybe we can figure out what happened while we were sleeping, and we can plan to talk to Velma and Shaggy and Scooby after school, too."

"That sounds like a plan," I agreed. "And then, once we figure out what's going on with the rest of the gang, we're going after those creeps who kidnapped us!"

* * *

The rest of my day unfurled just as strangely as my morning. Throughout the entire day, people stopped me every few seconds in the hallway to wish me luck at the game that evening, just as Principal Williams had done earlier. I couldn't walk a few feet without someone clapping me on the back or giving me a high five, and even people who had never looked in my direction before were suddenly interested in befriending me. During all of my classes, people scrambled to be my partner when group work was assigned, and teachers who I thought never knew my name before were beaming at me when I walked into a classroom. I have to admit that even though it was unexpected and slightly unsettling, there was a part of me that didn't exactly hate the attention I was getting, either. But the one thing that made me feel discontented was that whenever I happened to cross paths in the hallway with Shaggy or Velma, both of them would hardly acknowledge me, even when I would go out of my way to wave or talk to them. As they did earlier, both offered hasty excuses for somewhere they had to be whenever I approached them, and I was starting to feel as though they were definitely giving me the cold shoulder.

The one consistent person in my life right now was Daphne, who felt like an anchor as I was drifting through this confusing day. When the final bell rang at the end of the day, I was more eager than usual to find her. I didn't hesitate to pull her into a tight hug when I found her waiting at my locker, as I was craving that familiarity and security our relationship had offered. Holding her in my arms and inhaling the comforting smell of her peach and apricot scented hair made me feel tethered to something concrete and safe, even if just for a moment. She must have been feeling just as uneasy, because she was trembling when she returned the hug.

"This has been a weird day," Daphne reaffirmed when we finally pulled away from each other. "All day long, people have been telling me congratulations on getting into college, which was good, but they were equally as enthusiastic about your game tonight. I mean, don't get me wrong; I always knew you had the potential to be Coolsville's star player when no one else realized it, but before today, no one ever spoke to me about you as a football player. Now, it's all anyone wants to talk about around here!"

"You know what I noticed today?" I asked. "Everyone is so focused on me as a football player, and no one is saying anything to me about Mystery Inc., and mystery solving."

It was an insight I hadn't even fully realized until I had spoken it aloud, but now that I had mentioned it, the truth was as blatant as an elephant. Daphne paused, taken aback, and said,

"Now that you mention it, no one has asked me about our mysteries, either. And worse yet, Velma hasn't said anything to me all day. Usually we talk in between every class, but today, she hardly even waved back to me when I've seen her in the hallway. Worse yet, I went to our locker today, and I only saw my stuff inside of it. It's like she's using her own locker again or something."

Daphne paused, her eyes tearing up again as she spoke, and I pulled her in for another hug in an attempt to reassure her. It was no secret that Velma and Daphne were close friends, which was something Daphne had always cherished since she had no other female friends. A year ago, they had even decided to share Daphne's locker so they could hang out together in between every class, so I could see how devastated Daphne felt at realizing that Velma had moved out of their joint locker.

"But the thing I don't get is that yesterday before the science fair, Velma and I were still close friends, and she had all of her stuff in our locker," Daphne said when she drew away from my arms. "So she moved all of her stuff out overnight, while we were attacked. Something fishy is definitely going on around here, and I don't like it."

I was relieved that Daphne and I were both noticing the same oddities throughout the entire day. Part of me had begun to wonder if I was overreacting to what was happening, and another part of me had even questioned if we were truly kidnapped last night. But as my day had proceeded, I also couldn't help but wonder what was going through my parents' mind. Things had been tense between my parents and me lately because I had yet to apply to college, but I knew that deep down they still cared about me, and I felt guilty for worrying them last night. Velma had mentioned that they were frantic to find me, and even though I had texted them a quick message during the school day to let them know I was safe, I knew that my mom wouldn't be pleased if I didn't check on them sooner or later. Plus, after the unusual day I was having at school, part of me wondered what kind of reception welcomed me at home.

"I want to go home and see if anything is going on there," I said. "Maybe my parents can tell us what's going on with the gang, and fill us in on what might have happened last night. Let's go see my parents together, and after that, I think we need to force Velma and Shaggy to talk to us about why they've been giving us the cold shoulder today."

Daphne agreed to this, and we walked out of the school and emerged into the bright sunlight, which felt too cheerful and abrasive for a day that had left us both feeling so discombobulated. As we walked through the parking lot, both of us gazed around at the rows of cars, searching for the spot where I usually parked the Mystery Machine, but neither of us could find it. Immediately, I felt the unease knotting in my stomach, and a knowing suspicion began to gnaw at me. The Mystery Machine's blue and green psychedelic aesthetic made the van hard to miss in any parking lot, and we had never had any problems locating it in the past. I patted my pockets down searching for the keys, but the keys I found in my pocket were foreign to me, and when I clicked the panic button, a black colored mustang that I had never seen before chirped at us from across the parking lot.

I was so surprised that I felt my knees buckle before me and I collapsed to the pavement, as if I were a puppet whose strings had been cut and I could no longer support my own weight. Daphne gripped my arms and pulled me to my knees, and whispered vehemently, "Okay, this is getting creepier and creepier, but we have to stay calm. Maybe Shaggy has the Mystery Machine for some reason."

"I mean, that's all fine and good, but then who's car is this?!" I yelped, mystified by the flashy car parked before us. "I've never seen this car before in my life! And how did these keys get in my pocket?"

"I don't know, but I'm starting to suspect that this all has to do with being abducted last night," Daphne said, as she took the keys from my shaky hands and unlocked the door. She flung open the passenger seat and peaked inside. "Uh, Freddy – you might want to take a look inside the car."

Fear ballooned inside my chest as I peered into the car. At first, I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw my familiar blue colored football duffel bag stuffed in the backseat, but then I felt the hair on my neck raise when I noticed a paper tucked just beside the duffel bag. Judging from the gold framed around the paper, it appeared to be a certificate. As I looked closer, I saw the words, **"Award Presented to Fred Jones for MVP, Coolsville High School Football Team."**

"Okay, now I know something isn't right," I mumbled as I took the certificate in my hands and studied it like an ancient text. This certificate was confirmation of the suspicion building up inside of me all day during school; somehow, I had become Coolsville High School's most valuable player overnight, and I was apparently recognized for it at some point. My flesh was covered in goosebumps and my breath had hitched in my throat, but as I stood there in the parking lot beside this bad ass car and holding this certificate honoring me as an MVP for the football team, part of me couldn't help but wonder if I was overwhelmed because I enjoyed this airy and light feeling that I recognized as happiness, or because this sudden turn of events was making me as uncomfortable and confused as I was letting on. The thought made me shudder, and I dismissed it before I could allow myself to entertain the idea for another second.

Daphne smiled coyly and slid into the Mustang's leather passenger seat, and I frowned. "What are you doing?" I hissed, as if someone would see or hear us and we would be in trouble. "We can't get in this car – we don't know who it belongs to!"

"Apparently, it must be your's," she replied. "And even if it isn't, I don't see any harm in borrowing it while we figure out what's going on around here. Now jump in, and let's get going to your house; even though we've already been through a lot, I somehow have a feeling this day is about to get weirder and weirder."

* * *

Okay, I'll admit it: driving the Mustang was an adrenaline rush. I loved everything about it: I loved the way it zipped around cars like a cheetah, and the way the music thumped in the speakers as we drove. With Daphne sitting beside me and the Mustang streaking through the streets beneath my touch, I felt like I was in a scene straight out of an action adventure movie: I might as well have been the protagonist who gets the girl in the end, and drives away in his awesome sports car as the credits scrolled across the screen and an upbeat top 40 pop song plays to close out the movie and send the audience home content and satisfied.

When we finally reached my house, I pulled the car into the driveway and killed the ignition, then threw open the door and went around the passenger seat to clasp Daphne's hand in mine and help her climb out of the car. As we walked up the driveway, hand in hand, I said, "I'm not sure how many more surprises I can take. I really hope my parents can tell me what's going on around here."

As if I had summoned them with my remarks, the front door to my house swung open, and my mom stood in the doorway, grinning so broadly that it lit up her entire face, and my dad came up from behind my mom and wrapped his arm around her waist as he stood to smile beside her. "Oh honey, you're home, and you're all right!" my mom squealed like a school girl as she pulled me in for a hug and planted a kiss on my cheek. "And it's great to see you too, sweetheart!" she said, turning to envelope Daphne in a hug and a kiss on the cheek, as well.

I blushed, unaccustomed to this kind of reaction from my parents. We had a good relationship, or at least as decent a relationship between any teenager and his parents, but we didn't necessarily have a "touchy-feely" sort of relationship, either.

"It's great to see you, son!" my father's voice boomed, his face flushed and red with excitement. "We were worried about you two the other night after you went missing. I have to admit, I couldn't help but wonder if you were feeling the pressure of tonight's game, but I knew you wouldn't jeopardize your football scholarship like that."

Daphne looked at me, her mouth gaping open and her eyes the size of saucers, and I wondered if she mirrored my reaction because my parents laughed. "Have you given any further thought on your football scholarship, Freddy?" my mom asked. "Duke and Michigan aren't going to wait around for you to decide forever!"

My throat felt dry and scratchy, and I longed for some water. "Duke? Michigan?" I stuttered. "But-but-but – you guys know I didn't apply anywhere this fall!"

My parents threw their heads back and laughed, as if I had told the best joke they had ever heard. "Fred, don't be silly, my boy," my father intoned, smiling as though I were a little boy who had said something amusing. "You know that Duke and Michigan University are your top two offers for a full ride scholarship to play football. You weren't thinking of going back to Ohio State's offer, were you? I thought we decided against them the other day?"

Suddenly the room felt as though it was spinning, and I grabbed the wall, craving the urge for some stability and something concrete to hang onto. Daphne gripped my arm, but whether it was to steady herself too or to reassure me, I wasn't certain.

"Freddy, are you feeling okay, dear?" my mom asked, her voice dripping with concern. She placed her cool palm on my forehead. "You don't feel sick. Tell me, what's going on?"

"Mrs. Blake," Daphne spoke up, her voice tiny. "We've just had a really, really weird day. I'm not sure where to even begin. But first, can you tell us where the Mystery Machine went? Do you know if Shaggy took it for the day? We couldn't find it in the parking lot after school."

I saw my parents' foreheads crease and their eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Son," my father spoke slowly, as if he were explaining a simple concept to a toddler. "Did you two forget that you sold the Mystery Machine a few months ago? What's wrong with the new Mustang we bought you as an early graduation gift to celebrate all your football scholarship offers?"

I took a step back, staggering as if their words had struck me. "No," I uttered. "No, it can't be – we would never sell the Mystery Machine!"

"Well, you certainly did sell it," my father echoed, his voice sounding a little less patient. "You and your friends sold it awhile back, Fred. How can you kids not remember any of this?"

I shook my head, refusing to believe what I was hearing. "No!" I shouted a little too adamantly, causing everyone to jump. "No, we never sold the Mystery Machine! In fact, Daphne and I just drove it home last night, just before Velma's science fair. When did all of this happen?"  
My parents exchanged uneasy glances.

"I knew he was starting to regret what happened," my father groaned to my mother, although it seemed more to himself than anyone else. "He has been talking about wishing he could turn back time a lot lately. I don't know why he is acting so forgetful, but I knew it was only a matter of time before he regretted his football scholarships for all that past silliness."

Daphne stepped forward, an urgency lighting her vibrant eyes. "Mister and Mrs. Jones, what are you saying? What do you think it is that Freddy regrets lately?"

My parents again swapped anxious looks with each other. As I did earlier when Daphne and I were standing before Velma and Shaggy and Scooby in the gym, I felt as though I were in the presence of something spectral, and the hair on my arm rose and I shivered. And then my mom opened her mouth, and when she spoke again, the room tilted and my ears began to ring and my heart stilled in my chest, as if I was going to pass out right then and there, and she said, maternally taking her hand in mine,

"Oh Daphne, Freddy, my sweetheart, don't you kids remember? You and the gang sold the Mystery Machine a few months ago, when you and the gang decided to disband Mystery Incorporated."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

I spun on my heels and bolted out the door and down the driveway, moving so quickly that it felt as though my feet didn't even touch the ground. Behind me, I could hear my parents calling my name, their voices strained and tinged with pain as they pleaded with me to stop running, but their voices felt far away and distant, as if they were yelling for me from miles and miles away.

When I reached the Mustang, I flung the door open and dropped into the driver's seat and placed my hands on the steering wheel, but then I just sat there, frozen and unmoving, as my brain struggled to process everything that was happening. My mom's voice swirled in my brain like a broken record, and my mind snagged and dwelled on her words: "_You and the gang sold the Mystery Machine a few months ago, when you and the gang decided to disband Mystery Incorporated_." Solving mysteries with my friends had been my one constant refuge; I knew that no matter what happened to me, I could always count on the comfort of my friends standing beside me as we worked to unmask villain after villain after villain. Sure, the rest of the gang's future college plans had thrown all of that into jeopardy recently, but until today, we had tucked this possibility into the crevices of our hearts and locked it away like a terrible secret. And now, out of nowhere, I was blind sighted by the fact that the gang had dissolved, seemingly overnight, and somehow, without me and Daphne even knowing it.

As I sat in the car drowning in my thoughts, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Daphne open the passenger door and plop into the seat next to me. Her breathing was staggered, as if she had just run a marathon, and I could see her hands trembling. My parents were standing on the porch, framed in the threshold of the front door. It was evident that I had hurt them with my reaction; their foreheads were furrowed, and their eyes were glassy with tears as they watched us.

Daphne placed a tentative hand on my shoulder, and I turned to face her. "Freddy, we have to find Velma and Shag and Scooby," she said softly. "We have to talk to them. I think they're the only ones who can really confirm what is going on around here."

Speechless, I nodded, and turned the key in the ignition. The Mustang roared to life, and I guided the car out of the driveway before zipping down the street, leaving behind a puff of smoke as we drove.

After a few minutes of driving, Daphne sliced through the silence between us, saying, "I really think that whatever happened to us last night is connected with everything going on, Freddy. Something doesn't add up – everything was normal up until we were kidnapped. Do you think those two did something to our brains last night? I feel like I'm walking around with a brain tumor or some sort of memory loss."

I didn't respond, and instead I allowed myself to return to what had happened last night. I recalled the way we were forced, at gunpoint, to walk into the school, the way I saw Daphne collapse after drinking the strange green liquid, the way my heart had sputtered at seeing her faint, the way I held her in my arms as I was coaxed into drinking the same green liquid, the way it burned in my chest once I drank it, and the way I was knocked out moments later. The details of last night felt heavy, like the emotional weight of a real, traumatic memory, but it was encrusted with the fantasy lining of a nightmare: were we actually kidnapped, or did we somehow both dream it? What had really happened to us last night, and what was really happening to us right now?

I didn't want to say this to Daphne, but for the past few hours, I could feel the truth steadily circling me, eyeing me and sizing me up like a lioness stalks her prey. So far, I had avoided looking at the truth in the face; I had allowed myself stolen glimpses out of the corner of my eye, but I couldn't bring myself to stare head-on and engage in direct eye contact. But as everything was unravelling faster and faster, I knew it was only a matter of time before I would have no choice but to open my eyes and acknowledge what I intrinsically knew.

And to be honest, while I was terrified and shattered to hear that Mystery Inc. had broken up, there was a small part of myself that had felt pleased whenever someone at school had praised me for my football skills. And when my dad had confirmed that the Mustang was mine, and when I saw my parents' proud smiles spread across their faces, and when I heard them list all the schools scouting me for a football scholarship, I felt lighter and lighter, and I wondered if I was going to float away out of sheer happiness. Whether or not I was correct in my guess in regards to the truth, wasn't this what I had desired for so long? Didn't I want all the possibilities the future had in store for me, and the opportunity to see the doors swing open before me, just as the rest of the gang did? Didn't I yearn to make my parents proud?

Or was this an instance of the old saying, seemingly optimistic but laced with foreboding, "be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it all?"

When we reached Velma's house, I threw the car in park, and Daphne and I clambered out of the Mustang, resolutely walking up to the Dinkley's front porch. I knocked on the front door, and a minute later Mrs. Dinkley answered. She did a double take when she saw Daphne and I standing before her, as if our presence had surprised her, but she regained her composure and said pleasantly, "Fred! Daphne! My, it is so wonderful to see you two! How are you both doing? Please, come inside!"

Velma's mother stepped aside so that we could enter Velma's house. Mrs. Dinkley always reminded me of a glimpse of what Velma would look like in thirty years: her short, chestnut colored hair was styled in bob, like Velma's, and she also wore thick black rimmed glasses. But unlike Velma, her face was wrinkled with fault lines, as years of stress and hard work had eroded her delicate features. She was the only female scientist who worked at the local university, and between being a mother to Velma and working hard as a researcher, she felt she had a lot to prove.

But despite the strain and the pressure Mrs. Dinkley felt daily, that had never stopped her from being pleasant and warm towards Velma and the rest of the gang whenever we saw her, and today was no exception. Mrs. Dinkley beamed and drew us both in for a hug, and whispered, "It warms my heart to see you both again. My girl really misses you two, even if she won't admit to it."

Daphne shot me a look that I couldn't decipher, and I felt my heart pang. "Mrs. Dinkley, we really need to talk to Velma about something," I said, my voice serious. "Is she home?"

"I'm right here, Fred."

The three of us turned to face Velma, who was standing at the foot of the staircase, her arms crossed over her chest.

Daphne took a step towards Velma, as if to give her a hug, but seemed to think better of it and paused. "Is there a place the three of us can talk?" Daphne asked, her voice wavering only a bit. "It's really important."

Mrs. Dinkley picked up on the cue and said, "Actually, Velma, I have to run out for a bit, so I won't be home for a few hours. You and your friends can catch up while I'm gone. There's a frozen pizza in the freezer, and you kids can help yourself to all the snacks in the pantry. But if you have Shaggy and Scooby over, just make sure they leave something for tomorrow." And before anyone could say anything, Mrs. Dinkley waved and stepped out of the house, slamming the door behind her.

Velma shifted on her feet, looking obviously uncomfortable, as she had earlier when we saw her in the gym. She had a hard time maintaining eye contact with us, and her eyes darted around the room. Finally, she asked, "Fred, Daphne – what is going on? It feels like there is something wrong with you guys today."

Daphne and I looked at each other uneasily, both of us trying to determine where to even begin. Finally, I stepped forward, and I locked eye contact with Velma, and I said,

"Velma, I think something happened to me and Daphne last night, and if I'm right, then her and I really need your help. But first, could you call Shaggy and Scooby? We really want to talk to them, too."

* * *

"Like man, it sure has been a long time since we've all been over at Velma's house together!"

Shaggy eyed the pizza in his hands hungrily, and he and Scooby inhaled their slices in two seconds, flat. The gang and I were assembled around Velma's kitchen table. Velma had called Shaggy and Scooby over, and we had taken Mrs. Dinkley's suggestion in cooking the frozen pizza. But as we ate, the silence was thick and tense in Velma's kitchen, which was something that had never happened before when I had hung out with the gang. Several times, Daphne or I had attempted to maintain conversation, but the exchange felt stifled and forced, which wasn't anything like the jokes and smiles and natural flowing dialogue normally shared between the five of us. My heart clenched in my chest and my shoulders tensed as the kitchen was filled with the sound of forks scraping dishes and Scooby and Shaggy slurping down slice after slice of pizza.

Finally, Velma turned to me and Daphne, an inquisitive look on her face. "Okay you two, I think I've waited long enough to ask what is going on for today – explain."

"Before we explain what we think is going on," Daphne begins, "There is something Freddy and I really want to know – what happened between all of us?"

Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby all bristled, obviously reeling from Daphne's straightforward question. "Come on, Daph," Velma spat, obviously frustrated, "Is this some kind of a joke? What kind of question is that? You know damn well what happened: Mystery Inc. split up, and we haven't talked in months."

Scooby whimpered, and Shaggy patted him on the head reassuringly. "Like, did you guys call us over here just to rehash bad memories? Cause if so, Scoob and I want no part of it. These past few months haven't exactly been easy on us, and like, we don't really wanna be here if you're just going to make a fool out of all of us."

"I promise, we aren't trying to hurt anyone or bring back past hurts," I said sheepishly, "I know this is going to sound like some sort of joke, but what would you say if I told you guys that Daphne and I have no memory of the past few months, or at least the past few months according to everyone we've talked to today?"

Everyone paused, as if trying to decide if they were being played or not. When neither Daphne or I said anything, Velma offered, "I would suggest that the two of you go get an MRI scan and check your brain, because obviously something isn't right. Did you two hurt yourselves recently in some sort of accident? Did you bump your heads hard and scramble your memory?"

I felt myself fumbling for the right words to say to fill the void widening between all of us. Daphne looked at the gang individually, first Velma, then Shaggy and Scooby, and finally me, before turning her gaze back to Velma again. "Do you guys trust me?" she asked, something glimmering in her eyes.

Velma and Shaggy and Scooby all looked to each other, as if collectively determining how to respond. Finally, Shaggy and Scooby just nodded, and Velma eyed Daphne and said, "You and I once had a strong friendship. Even though we've been on the outs lately, I have always respected you; so in short, yes, I trust you. Now, why do you ask?"

I felt my stomach tighten in knots as Daphne spoke, "Okay, so this is a hypothetical," she explained. "But let's just say that the past few months, the five of us have had the time of our lives, solving mysteries and stopping bad guys, something that's second nature to all of us at this point. Fred and I have been dating for a while, and Velma and I are so close that we share my locker at school so we can hang out in between classes. Shaggy and Scooby complete the dynamic between Mystery Inc. by being their usual goofy selves, and life is perfect as we continue to solve mysteries and remain close and steadfast friends. Sure, most of us have plans to go away to college soon, but it wasn't daunting to us before, and we don't let that stop us from being crime solving bad asses."

I kept quiet, and tried to still my heart beat and stop myself from dwelling on the fact that Daphne had said _most of us_ have plans for college, conveniently neglecting to mention that I was the lone loser without any plan or direction.

"Now, let's say that last night, Fred and I attend Velma's science fair. We support our best friend, and we're happy to see her invention being realized after years of work. The invention, as you know, supports the ability to visit an alternate universe; in fact, the invention supports the option of visiting multiple universes, each one unique and parallel to one's own original world."

I watched Velma and Shaggy and Scooby as Daphne spoke, and I could see Velma's eyes widening, and Shaggy's hand twitching as he held a fourth piece of pizza inches away from his lips, neglected as he hung on Daphne's every word.

"After the science fair," Daphne continued, "Fred and I are discussing everything when we are kidnapped, at gun point, and coerced into the school gymnasium. We are forced to drink this strange, unusual green liquid, which knocks us out instantly. When we wake up, we are sitting in the gym, which makes sense because this was the last place we remember being in before we are knocked out, but something seems off. Overnight, our best friends won't talk to us. In the span of eight hours, Velma's stuff is moved out of my locker, Mystery Inc. has been disbanded, and Fred is suddenly mister popular: he has football scholarships and accolades, and the whole school wants to be his friend."

I try to tamper down this feeling rising within me like bile. _Be careful what you wish for _–

"This is crazy," Velma breathes so quietly that we can hardly hear her.

"And maybe, maybe we are crazy," Daphne conceded, but then continued, "But I don't think so. I don't think we hit our heads so badly that we misplaced months of memories, and I don't think someone is playing an elaborate prank on us. I guess now the question remains – what _did _happen to us? And by _us, _I am referring to Mystery Inc., not Fred and me. Because even though Freddy and I feel confused by how we got here, nothing feels more conflicting than not knowing what happened to our friendship."

After Daphne stopped talking the room was utterly silent: Shaggy lowered the pizza back onto his plate, Scooby ducked his head, and Velma stared straight ahead, betraying no emotion.

Finally, Velma spoke: "It was inevitable, honestly. Between all of our paths branching off for college, we were destined to disband eventually. But one night, a few months ago, Freddy suggested it, and since he is the leader, we all followed suit. He said he had a lot on his plate with football and scholarships and his parents, which was evident. But to be honest, some part of me always wondered if he was intrigued by the vast amount of friendships offered him at Coolsville High."

I felt my heart pang in my chest as Velma suggested that I would have ever replaced my best friends. "Oh Velma," I said, "You and the rest of the gang are my best friends. I can't believe you would ever think that."

"Like, Velma's right, dude," Shaggy said. "After you disbanded the gang, you and Daphne walked around Coolsville High like you were somethin' else. We were all proud of you for all the football scholarships, but you guys, like, hardly looked our way after that. Of course we were gonna feel hurt."

Daphne cringed, and Velma added, as if I hadn't said anything, "Regardless, the three of us hadn't heard from you and Daphne – until last night, that is. After my science fair ended, the two of you approached me, and you both seemed very upset about something, especially Freddy. Fred kept asking me if the invention made it possible to undo the past, and when I explained that this wasn't necessarily the case, he went on and on about how he realized that life was full of choices, and that he had blown a lot of those choices: the whole conversation was very emotional. Daphne looked visibly upset, too, and I could tell that you were holding back tears, Fred. I tried pressing you both and asking what was the matter, but you guys said good-bye, and I didn't see you again until this morning, when Shaggy and Scooby and I found you on the gymnasium floor, passed out."

Daphne's face had gone completely pale, and I felt myself shivering with sweat. My head was pounding and my heart was speeding, and I could feel the pieces falling into place in my mind.

"Like, are you guys all right?" Shaggy asked, his eyes darting between me and Daphne.

"Did you two seriously forget how we broke up?" Velma asked, her voice low and grave. "And did you really forget about the conversation we had last night?"

Daphne shook her head, and I said, "We don't remember a single word of it, Velma. That's why we need your help. We think there is a connection between our abduction last night, and why things are different for us now."

Velma eyed us both, as if trying to determine if we were still joking, but when she saw that we were serious, her face relaxed. "If what you are implying is true, then this will be a breakthrough," she uttered. "Did you say that the liquid you were forced to drink was green? As in, like the drug I invented for yesterday's science fair?"

Daphne and I merely nodded: my arm broke out in goosebumps. Shaggy and Scooby's eyes flitted between me and Daphne and Velma, as if watching a drama unfold.

"If we are to continue to speak hypothetically, as Daphne was doing earlier, then let's say that, hypothetically, I noticed I was missing a few beakers this morning from my science lab," Velma stated slowly, her face betraying no emotion. "And let's say that, hypothetically, I have a way of hacking into Coolsville High School's security camera, which would allow us to watch what transpired last night and this morning, while the school was closed. Hypothetically, this might offer us some clues as to what is going on in this latest mystery."

As Velma said the word "mystery," it was like magic: Shaggy and Scooby broke into a grin, Daphne's shoulders clearly relaxed, and I felt the knots in my stomach loosen. Even Velma seemed lighter, as she seemed to float up the stairs to her room, returning with a laptop in her hands.

The four of us gathered around Velma as she clacked away at the keyboard. "Wow," Shaggy murmured. "It feels just like old times."

No one said anything further, and Velma chewed her bottom lip in concentration as she minimized various windows and typed in an endless series of codes with a flourish of her hand. Finally, one final screen popped up, and she rapidly entered a series of numbers and letters. "Come on, come on," Velma implored the laptop. "Show us what is happening."

The screen flickered once, and then a clear picture of Coolsville High School's gymnasium materialized on the laptop screen.

"Bingo! I'm in!" Velma declared, beaming. "Now, let me take this back to last night."

I held my breath in anticipation, and Daphne slid her hand into mine, giving it a tight squeeze. I felt my palms sweat and my heart began to knock against my ribcage. The hair on my neck danced, and I suddenly wasn't so sure I wanted to find out who had kidnapped us, even though a part of me already knew the answer. Daphne must have been thinking the same thing, because I heard her whisper, "I'm not sure if I'm ready to find out who did this to us."

Velma hit rewind on the tape, and we watched students run in reverse. Dodgeballs were propelled away from limbs and basketballs were ejected from the basketball hoop until finally the gym was emptied, and then we watched Velma and Shaggy and Scooby's exit, only it appeared that they were entering by walking backwards to face us, and then our exchange flashed across the screen in a matter of minutes. Daphne and I slumped forward again, and Shaggy and Scooby and Velma slid out of the screen, and Velma kept the tape rolling until two figures ran backwards to meet me and Daphne's lifeless bodies.

Velma hit pause, but with the figures bent over me and Daphne, it was hard to decipher their identity, although they had shed the black ski masks that concealed their faces.

"I can't look," I heard Daphne moan, and she averted her gaze as Velma magnified the image on the screen. And I knew who it was right away: perhaps I had known the second we were abducted, the very millisecond I heard our captors speak and recognized their voices last night, but I wasn't able to admit it, even to myself. Even before I saw the beautiful face with the bubblegum pink lips and the long, red wavy hair and the serious midnight eyes of the young woman, and the short blonde hair and the crystal blue eyes of the young man, I knew exactly who had kidnapped me and Daphne last night.

Velma gasped, and Shaggy and Scooby yelped, shaking with fear.

"I don't believe this," Velma said, her voice hardly any louder than a whisper. "The people who kidnapped Fred and Daphne are – _Fred and Daphne_!"

It was true: I watched on the screen as the Daphne and I were dragged (by ourselves – what kind of mind bending concept was I watching right now?!) from Velma's giant cube, which was lurking several feet from where Daphne and I had been placed. Velma hit play on the screen to show us the moment when our captors had thrown us onto the ground.

I watched as the other Fred turned to the other Daphne, and they broke into a grin. "Let's get going!" I heard myself say. "I'm ready to reclaim the life we should have had solving mysteries with the rest of the gang!"

"I sure hope we are doing the right thing, Freddy," I heard the other Daphne respond. Beside me, my Daphne shivered, and I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her to me, hoping to reassure her, but knowing that at this point, there was little anyone could do to soothe someone who was being confronted with this level of weirdness. "Maybe it was a bit much to make them think we were going to kill them. It sure felt odd threatening someone who looked exactly like you and me, Fred."

"I know, Daphne," I heard myself say in a soothing voice. "But I promise, it will all be worth it, and besides, they're fine. When they wake up, they'll be safe and sound in our life, and we'll be in their's, happy and solving mysteries with the gang, just like old times. We'll have our best friends back, and I have a feeling Freddy here will be happy with this alternate universe that I've created for him."

I felt my throat tighten, and I was sure that the gang was looking at me as I squirmed and blushed, as if I had been caught committing a crime red-handed.

_…Or you just might get it all, _a voice in my head taunted, but I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Everyone kept their eyes glued to the screen and watched as the other Fred and Daphne moved back into the cube and slammed the door behind them.

"Well, that solves my suspicion," Velma said, as she clicked the laptop off and the screen went dark. She turned to face me and Daphne. "It looks as though the Fred and Daphne we know were desperate to get back what you both had in your world, so they stole the drug I invented and upended your life. And they probably thought they could get away it, too, because it would have been the perfect switch. I guess they didn't forsee us cracking this mystery wide open so soon."  
"This truly is interesting," Velma went on. "What floors me is that I have never tested this drug on other humans. The mouse was the only living creature to ever go through the box, as I wasn't sure if humans were capable of handling the bending of the multiverse. Fred and Daphne must have been desperate to take that chance, though."

"This is, like, some twilight zone shit!" Shaggy exclaimed, shaking his head. "But now the question is this – what are you two going to do about everything?"

I looked at Daphne and she gazed back at me, a question forming in both our eyes. "What are we going to do about this?" I echoed, throwing Shaggy's question back out in the open. "What can we even do right now?"

"I think we both want to go home, immediately." Daphne said, her eyes blazing with determination. "Right, Fred?"

Daphne stared up at me and the rest of the gang eyed me, too. I have to admit, I was torn: part of me marveled at this life the other Fred had selfishly rejected. And besides, wasn't it secretly the life I had desired for myself just the other day? The other Fred had obviously wanted the popularity and the football scholarships and the Mustang and the thrilled parents at some point, and he had worked his ass off to obtain it all, but it had been at the expense of Mystery Inc. Somewhere along the line, he regretted this one decision, and he craved it so much that he (and the other Daphne, too) had uprooted me and my Daphne's life for that familiar taste of mysteries and Mystery Inc.

And when I reflected back on the memories and all the mysteries I solved with the gang flashed back before me, I felt my heart swell inside my chest, and in that instant, I identified with the Fred who had resorted to extreme measures to return to the simpler time of mystery solving and passing the time with my best friends. I knew that solving mysteries and being with my best friends was all I ever wanted, and all I would ever need.

I nodded my head and squeezed Daphne's hand, and she grinned. "I really want to go back home," I confirmed. "This universe isn't our world, and even if we stayed, it wouldn't be the same. Velma, do you think you can help us find our way back?"

For the first time all day, Velma's face split into a wide smile. "I think I may have something that can help you two," she replied. "Come on, we have to hurry over to Coolsville High School!"

* * *

"Fred, Daphne: are we happy?"

I paused, dazed by Velma's candid question. The gang and I were walking through the halls of Coolsville High School, making our way towards the gym, which we hoped was deserted, save for Velma's cube.

"I know that sounds like a silly question," Velma said, and her cheeks blushed. "What I mean is, are we all happy back where you guys are from? It's something I haven't stopped pondering since we figured all this out earlier."

"Like, to be honest, Scoob and I have been wondering the same thing," Shaggy agreed. "I'd be lyin' if I said I didn't miss solving mysteries with you all. I can't help but wonder what other Shaggy and other Scooby are up to you in your universe."

"I rope they're reating a lot of food!" Scooby said, his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

Shaggy moaned. "Like, me too!"

Daphne and I paused as we both reflected on Velma's question. We pushed through the doors of the gymnasium, and Velma's cube awaited us. Knowing that this cube was the root cause for the chaos in our life made me tremor.

"I just haven't stopped wondering if the gang are all happy in another universe," Velma continued. "You see, the entire past few months that we've been apart, I thought for sure that you and Daph, I mean, uh, our Fred and Daphne, were happy that Mystery Inc. had broken up, but now I see that wasn't the case. So I just want to know what the gang is like back where you're from."

I looked at Daphne to answer, and she smiled, surely tugged by the memories. "Yes, we are all happy," she confirmed, her voice buttery and soft. "Velma, you and I are sharing a locker in between classes and we tell each other everything. Shaggy and Scooby, you guys are just as loveable and goofy and hungry as ever, but you're still down to solve any mystery, despite being terrified all the time. And I don't know what the relationship between your Fred and Daphne are like, but Freddy makes me feel so happy and safe, and we have a healthy relationship. Even though I am pissed off towards your Fred and Daphne, I can understand why the other Fred and Daphne want it all back."

I felt my heart swell in my chest at Daphne's response, and I kissed her on the cheek, and she smiled. Velma and Shaggy and Scooby beamed, as well.

"You know," Velma said, the smile still pasted on her face, "You two sure are different from our Fred and Daphne. I mean, I guess that might be obvious, but you're both kinder and seem lighter, and more willing to open up to us. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you're softer: the other Fred and Daphne had some sort of edge about them. I think their stubbornness was a lot of the reason why we broke up. I just wish they could have spoken to us about everything that was going on in the past few months without having to resort to all of this."

Everyone stopped walking once we stood before Velma's cube, and the atmosphere turned serious and grave. Again, we stood around awkwardly, before Velma stepped forward with two red colored backpacks.

"These are for you two," she said softly, as if suddenly timid. "Inside, you will find that I packed two water bottles a piece, and a dozen protein and power bars. I also have other helpful odds and ends, such as a compass, some matches, and a pocket knife. But the most important thing you will find are 40 capsules, split evenly so you have 20 a piece. So you have 20 chances between the two of you to find the universe that is your home. I wish I could have given you more, but I have no others to spare, and it could take me months before I can secure the funds from the school to create more. As it is, I will have to explain how I am missing all of them now…"

As Velma's voice drifted, my heart swelled in my chest, and I was blown away by this Velma, who technically didn't know us, and her willingness to risk everything to help me and Daphne return home. Daphne must have been feeling the same way, because she jumped forward and pulled Velma into a hug. Velma teared up, visibly emotional.

"Thank you, Velma," Daphne said, and she released Velma from their hug. "Seriously, thank you for everything. I am so sorry that the Fred and Daphne you guys knew hurt you guys, but I appreciate you helping me and Freddy get back home."

Shaggy and Scooby stepped forward. "Hey now," Shaggy said, "Don't leave us outta the group hug!"

It was odd exchanging hugs with people who looked like my best friends, but technically didn't know me at all. When I pulled away from Shaggy, he smiled and said, "Take care of yourselves, guys – and when you get back home, tell Fredster and Daphne to come back to us."

Velma nodded, and said, "Make sure they come home safely – we need our best friends back, too."

Speechless and overwhelmed with emotion, Daphne and I could only nod. Velma extended the backpacks towards us, and I took the backpacks from her hand.

"Once you step into the cube, shut the door behind you guys, and drink one of the capsules," Velma instructed. "The drug will wear off quickly – you only have about 10 minutes. Once that happens, you must open the door and see where you end up. Since you have already ingested it once before, it shouldn't knock you out as badly as before; in fact, every time should get easier and easier."

"But a word of caution," Velma continued, her voice grave and serious. "Even though our Fred and Daphne were lucky, and somehow managed to toggle between your world and their world and back again, the box is a means to the multiverse, and each universe is a path containing a world where anything that can happen, will happen. I won't sugar coat it: I can't guarantee that you will both make it out alive. When I invented the box, I intended it to be used as a means of curbing world hunger and learning how to avoid the mistakes we make here by observing parallel worlds. Now I see that the box can be abused, and I am worried that I made a grave miscalculation."

Velma's words were chilling, and I shivered. Daphne placed a reassuring hand on Velma's arm. "Your heart was in the right place," Daphne said reassuringly. "None of this is your fault. Don't worry – we'll get back to our universe, and your friends will be back home in no time!"

The gang stood around, unmoving, knowing that now was the time to say good bye and depart, but struggling to do so. But I'm the leader of the group back home in my universe, and I knew I had to step up to fulfill the role here, again. I took Daphne's hand in mine, and nodded towards Velma and Shaggy and Scooby. "Thank you again for your help, Velma," I said, nodding in her direction. "Daph, let's go home."

Daphne didn't say a word as we stepped into the cube. Before we pushed the door closed, her and I turned for one last look at the gang, who were still assembled outside the cube, and were waving at us with smiles on their faces. Daphne and I raised our hand one final time before the door shuttered behind us, slamming with a final loud and resounding force.

Daphne sighed beside me, and I knew she was feeling anxious. I wanted to keep this momentum going before her resolve faltered, and I knew I had to be brave for her, so I unzipped both the backpacks and fished out two glass capsules filled with green liquid. I passed one to Daphne, who grasped it with a shaky hand.

"Hey, everything is going to be okay," I said, pulling Daphne against my chest so I could hold her. I felt her tremble and shake in my arms, and she burrowed her face into my shirt.

"Oh Freddy, you heard Velma! We could face universes that hold anything and everything!" Daphne bemoaned. "What if we don't make it back home?"

"We have to think positive!" I said, my voice firm but still soothing. I was trying to be as strong as I could for Daphne, but deep down, I knew she was right: what if we never found our way back? But I dismissed this thought as quickly as it had formed as I ran my hands through her hair and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry – no matter what happens, we'll be together, and I'll be right by your side."

Daphne swiped the tears from her eyes and leaned forward to kiss me on the lips. She smiled, but I could tell it was forced.

"I love you," she said, staring me in the eyes as she said it. "No matter what happens to us or where we go, I hope you know that."

I felt the heat radiating in my stomach as I kissed her on the lips. "I love you, too," I replied, smiling at her as she wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her forehead against mine. "And I mean it – everything is going to be okay."

We pulled away from the embrace and turned our focus again towards the vials in our hand. "Are you ready?" I asked her, as I popped the top off the vial. Daphne mimicked me, doing the same with her vial, and she clinked her glass capsule against mine, a playful smile forming on her lips. "Cheers!" she said, and in spite of everything, I couldn't stop myself from laughing. I brought the vial to my nose and sniffed it. "Whew! I guess you gotta just slam it back." I muttered.

"I remember it tasted awful," Daphne said, her mouth puckering at the memory. "Let's just get this over with so we aren't delaying things any longer."

And with that, Daphne threw her head back and slammed the drink in one entire gulp, as she had the other night, and she sagged forward almost immediately. I caught her before she could fall, and lowered her carefully onto the steel ground. I dropped to the ground beside her so that I didn't collapse and hurt myself, and I finally raised the vial to my lips and swallowed the green liquid. Again, it burned and fizzed as it slid down my chest, but at least I was prepared for the bitter taste.

I felt the drug crash into me as the room spun and my vision was dimmed, but unlike last time I didn't lose consciousness fully. It felt like I was weaving in and out of a dream as the room spun and my ears were ringing. I saw Daphne spread out before me, her eyes twitching rapidly, and then all at once everything was still, and my ears stopped ringing and Daphne's eyes stopped twitching.

Daphne and I struggled to pull ourselves upward, but then paused at the sight before us.

"Oh. My. God." Daphne gasped.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author Note: Hey guys! Here is a quick update to this story. I think I mentioned this in the first chapter, but in spite of this story being told primarily through Fred's POV, I am planning to alternate here and there with a few chapters (distantly) told through Velma's perspective/third person. This is because I want to swing between the action unravelling with Daphne and Fred as they are trying to get back to their universe, and the "multiverse" Fred and Daphne as they interact and engage in the real Fred and Daphne's world. Hopefully it's a seamless transition, and hopefully this side of the story is just as intriguing and interesting as the original Fred and Daphne. Hopefully this author note clears up any confusion that could result from reading this chapter, especially if you are expecting it to proceed linearly, with where Fred and Daphne left off, but I promise that the next few chapters will deal with them! Enjoy this chapter, and as always, please leave any reviews and feedbacks! Thank you to my awesome reviewers so far for making me smile with the feedback thus far - you guys really make me feel awesome about my work, and I can't thank you enough for that! - iamacliche**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Velma pushed through the doors of Coolsville High School, and shoved her way through the throng of students standing near lockers and talking before the first bell rang. She glanced at her phone for the sixth time since she woke up, and felt herself deflate when she saw that Daphne still had not texted her back. Velma felt the rage simmering inside her chest: she and Shaggy had been trying to get ahold of Fred and Daphne since the science fair ended last night, and for the first time in a long time, she was starting to feel genuinely frustrated with her best friend. Sure, she understood that Daphne and Fred were still a newer couple and may have wanted some alone time, so she tried not to feel too hurt when they skipped out on meeting the rest of the gang at Sherry's Diner. But now neither of them had responded to any text messages and phone calls in over 12 hours, and it wasn't fair to make Velma and Shaggy suffer with worry. Velma resolved to tell Daphne off for being inconsiderate of her friends' feelings the second she saw Daphne in school today.

Luckily for Velma, she didn't have to wait long; as Velma threaded her way past students clustered along the hallway, she could see a flash of Daphne's auburn hair and her purple blazer. As Velma drew closer to Daphne, she saw Daphne tug open the locker door, but then her friend paused and stared wide-eyed at the belongings in the locker, as if she were surprised to see Velma's textbooks and folders stacked haphazardly inside the locker.

Velma leaned forward and tapped Daphne on the shoulder. She tried to stifle her anger, but her cheeks felt inflamed, and she knew that her pink face would betray her emotions. "Seriously, Daph," Velma began, clearly exasperated. "You and Freddy have had us worried since last night; I mean, how hard is it to return one simple text – "

But Velma was interrupted when Daphne suddenly spun around, and without warning, pulled Velma into a tight hug. It was a long, desperate kind of hug that one gives another person when they're grieving or lost or just in need of being consoled, and Velma immediately felt her anger melt as Daphne clung to her.

"Daphne, what's wrong? You're shaking!" Velma asked, her voice rising with worry. She attempted to pull away from the hug, but Daphne pulled her back. "Daphne, is everything okay? Did you and Freddy have an argument? Is someone in your family hurt?"

Finally, Daphne reluctantly detached herself from Velma, but Velma noticed Daphne's eyes pooling with tears. "I'm sorry, Velma," Daphne said gently, "I'm okay – I didn't mean to worry you: I've just missed you so much. I was afraid that I would never see you again!"

Velma frowned, puzzled by her friend's response. "Oooo-kay," she said, drawing out her reply as she considered what Daphne said. "But you just saw me last night, at the science fair. And you could have seen me again, afterwards, had you and Freddy just joined us at Sherry's Diner after it ended. Shaggy and I understand that you and Fred are enjoying being wrapped in your relationship, but you need to answer our texts when we're trying to look for you guys."

"I know, and I'm sorry," Daphne said, clearly on the brink of tears again. Velma felt her anger subsiding, and she offered her friend a smile.

"Daphne, it's okay!" Velma laughed. "Really, you don't have to be upset. I'm sorry if I was a little too aggressive – I just hated being worried about you guys all night. With all the craziness that happens to Mystery Inc. sometimes, I thought something might have happened to you!"

Daphne flinched, and Velma narrowed her eyes.

"_Did _something happen to you guys last night?" Velma asked suspiciously. "No offense, Daphne, but you are acting a bit strange this morning. If I didn't know any better, I would say that you had a near death experience or something!"

"Actually, Velma, that's because I did!" Daphne responded, her eyes flashing with an emotion Velma couldn't detect. "You see, there is something I have to confess to you. Last night, Freddy and I didn't respond to you because we were shaken up over what happened after the science fair. Fred and I were walking through Coolsville High School's parking lot, and we were distracted because we were too busy talking, and a car nearly drove right into us and splattered our guts all over the pavement. Luckily, Freddy pushed us out of the way at the last second, so we weren't hurt."

"Jinkies!" Velma exclaimed, reaching out to grasp her friend's arm in disbelief. "You two could have been killed!"

"We could have, but we weren't," Daphne said. "But to be honest, that isn't the point. Something happened to us both after that – I don't know how to explain it. It's just that, ever since that moment and that near collision, I've felt so alive – so refreshed. I feel like I am seeing everything truly for the first time: I think I was just taking everything and everyone for granted before that accident. I'm determined not to lose sight of that, and I'm just more grateful than ever for my life and everyone in it."

Velma felt something light and airy ballooning inside her chest as she listened to her friend speak. "Wow, Daph," Velma said. "That is truly amazing! It's as though your near death accident gave you a newfound appreciation for living!"

Daphne smiled, almost nonchalantly, and replied, "Yes – you could say that."

The warning bell rang, prompting students to scatter as everyone raced to their first class of the day. As the two friends walked in the direction of their first class, Daphne stepped beside Velma and linked her arm with Velma's, causing the two to walk perfectly parallel. Velma raised her eyebrows, surprised by her friend's unusually intimate gesture. "Daph must have really been shaken up by what happened last night," Velma thought, as she watched Daphne grinning like a giddy child. "I have never seen her so upbeat! It's refreshing to see her this happy."

As Daphne and Velma continued to stroll through the hallway, talking and laughing as they walked, Velma could see that Fred was moving quickly towards the two. Like Daphne, he too looked almost overly eager, grinning as wide as a child on Christmas morning. As Fred drew closer to the girls, Velma saw that Freddy was dragging Shaggy by the wrist, causing Shaggy to trip and stagger just so he could keep up with Fred, who was more energetic than a golden retriever.

"Like, Fredster!" Shaggy yelped. "I know you're, like, really excited to see everyone, but could ya, like, slow down! I can only move so fast!"

"Hi Fred, hi Shaggy!" Velma called out to her friends. "What's going – "

Just as Daphne had hugged Velma out of the blue earlier, Fred too embraced Velma mid-sentence, holding Velma in the same desperate, almost needy manner in which Daphne had as well. Velma shook her head, bewildered but appreciative of her friends' refreshing new attitude.

"Jinkies!" Velma exclaimed. "I didn't realize that the near death car accident really changed you two so much! I have to admit that this is really touching: I think everyone should have the same positive outlook on living every moment to the fullest that you two have."

Fred beamed, flashing his straight white teeth. "You're absolutely right, Velms!" he cried, his eyes shining. "I only wish it hadn't taken a few poor choices to make me realize that."

Velma scrunched her forehead together. "A few poor choices?" she echoed. "You mean, like not being aware of your surroundings in the parking lot last night before you were nearly flattened like a pancake by that car? Because I can imagine that would be a hard way to learn that you should appreciate life to the max!"

Velma could have sworn she saw Fred and Daphne exchange a look, which included a subtle nod from Daphne, but when she blinked, nothing had changed in their demeanor; Fred was still standing before her and Daphne with that same silly grin, his hand still latched around Shaggy's wrist. "Yes Velma, exactly!" Fred laughed. "I felt so awful for the way we were almost killed last night. It really put things in perspective for me, and for Daphne, too. We realized that life is just too short, and we really want to spend it with the people we love the most – you and Shaggy. And that includes doing the things we love the most, which is solving mysteries!"

Velma laughed. "Jinkies! You would think it's been a long time since you two last solved mysteries."

The gang laughed good naturedly, and Fred smiled, saying, "As a matter of fact, after our near death experience last night, it does feel as though it's been _months _since we last solved a good mystery and hung out at Sherry's diner!"

As the gang stood in the hallway talking, the final tardy bell for first period trilled, warning students that they were officially late for first period.

Shaggy jumped with alarm. "Zoinks!" he exclaimed. "I'm about to be late for first period! I gotta get goin'!"

Shaggy started heading off in the direction towards his class, but Fred, who still was grasping Shaggy's wrist, yanked him backwards. "Wait!" Fred said. "Gang, I know this is going to sound odd, but what do you say we just cut class today?"

Velma and Shaggy stared at Fred skeptically, their mouths dropped and their eyes wide. "Skip class? For what purpose?" Velma asked.

"I know it sounds strange and irresponsible, but hear me out!" Fred replied. "It's just that, this is our senior year, and soon, we'll all be separated from each other, and we'll be too busy to hang out once college comes. I don't think it will hurt to take one day off to just hang out and catch up at Sherry's Diner, just like old times! And Shaggy can go pick up Scooby so we can all be reunited."

Velma shook her head. "_Just like old times_?" she repeated. "Freddy, you sound so nostalgic, as if these days are already long behind you. I think we still have plenty of time together!"

Fred's smile visibly drooped. "I know, Velma," he admitted softly. "But I can't help myself – I just really want to make the most of being with all my best friends before this all ends. Can you blame me?"

Velma was about to retort by pointing out how irresponsible Fred was being with his suggestion, but something restrained her. She remembered how Daphne had recently hinted that Fred had been feeling out of place with the gang since everyone was going away to college soon, and she realized that this could have been a rare moment in which Fred was being vulnerable and willing to share a softer side of himself which he rarely exposed. Perhaps extra time with his friends was Fred's way of working through his insecurities about the future? And besides, what could one day of skipping class hurt Velma? She already possessed straight A's, and her scholarships were all more or less guaranteed at this point: skipping one day of school certainly was not going to damage her future.

Velma turned to her friends, and with a grin, said, "All right Freddy, this may be crazy, but count me in! Shaggy, how about you?"

"Like, skipping school to eat more food? Is that even a real question?" Shaggy asked, rubbing his stomach for emphasis. "C'mon gang, let's go!"

Fred whooped loudly, and the gang laughed at his obvious enthusiasm. As the four friends loped towards the exit of the school, Velma marveled at this new aura that hung around her new friends, particularly Fred. He was moving with a swagger she had never seen before, both confident and lively, and there was an intensity in the air floating around Fred, as if every molecule had been charged. "Maybe, in a weird way, this was exactly what Freddy and Daphne needed," Velma thought, smiling as she watched Fred lean over and plant a kiss on the top of Daphne's head.

When the friends strolled out into parking lot, Fred suddenly broke out into a run. "Like, Freddy! Where are ya goin'?!" Shaggy called, as he ran with Daphne and Velma to keep up with Fred. Fred didn't stop running until he was standing before the Mystery Machine, which was parked in its usual spot. Velma noticed that Fred stood before the van, his mouth gaping open as if he were admiring something he had never seen before, and she was stunned to see his eyes beading with tears. When she glanced at Daphne for some kind of reassurance that Fred was indeed feeling okay today, Velma was startled to see that Daphne, too, looked emotional to see the van standing before them.

Shaggy must have sensed it, too, because he placed his hand on Fred's shoulder and asked, "Like, Fredster? Daph? Are you okay? Are ya tearing up because the van hasn't been washed in like, a month, and it looks really bad?"

Daphne shook her head and wiped her tears with her palm, and Fred laughed shakily at Shaggy's comment. "Sorry, Shag," Fred choked, clearly still emotional. "I guess I just thought that after last night's close call, I would never have the chance to stand before the Mystery Machine with you guys again."

"It really freaked us out to think that we might never solve mysteries and be with you guys again," Daphne confirmed, looking at Shaggy and Velma with a dreamy, faraway look in her eyes as she spoke. "But we're fine now, and we seriously can't wait to hang out with you guys and solve mysteries again, because we aren't taking anything for granted anymore!"

Velma felt her heart expand in her chest, and she beamed. "That sounds great!" she exclaimed. "Let's go pick up Scooby Doo, and head over to Sherry's! I think we deserve this afternoon off from school together, gang!"

As Velma climbed into the backseat of the van and eyed Fred and Daphne slipping into the front seat, their smiles still glued to their faces as they took in the van as if they were toddlers seeing the world for the first time, Velma realized with a jolt that this was the happiest she could remember the gang ever being in a long time. It wasn't that the friends were unhappy or drifting away from each other over the past few months; in fact, they were as close as ever. But it had been a long time since Velma had that sense of carefree giddiness that fizzed in the pit of her stomach, and seeing Fred and Daphne's inspirational new outlook had revitalized Velma, as well. As Fred drove the Mystery Machine out of the parking lot, Velma closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of the warm sun kissing her cheeks and the sound of Daphne and Fred's melodious laughter wafting towards her from the front seat.

"I could get used to Daphne and Fred's new positive attitude," Velma thought contentedly, before she peacefully drifted off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_Doors_.

Doors were all I could see when my vision cleared; I sat up, gazing in a sluggish stupor at the way the box had morphed into a hallway that stretched onward for miles and miles, and on both sides of the cold surface of the metal colored hallway, perfectly spaced apart by every few feet, was a mahogany colored door.

Daphne and I could only stare, awestruck and speechless at the corridor with its infinite amount of doors. For one moment, I could only think of the worlds that swirled and crackled behind each door, and the vast amount of realities that existed in which my life differed by various degrees, depending on the road that branched off from moment to moment, choice to choice. My head was spinning as I considered what my life would have been like had I not sat next to Daphne in that English class in 9th grade on that fateful day, or if I had moved away from Coolsville with my family when I was only nine years old, or if I had never met any of my friends. If I reached out to the door closest to us and rapped my knuckles against its smooth surface, would I have seen a glimpse of a Fred that was never meant to be? Would he be happier, more successful, more at ease with his life and his choices? Or, conversely, would he be miserable, discontent, and disillusioned with where he had ended up in life?

Daphne placed a hand on my shoulder as she stood, blinking at all the doors. "I can't believe what I'm seeing! Velma has truly outdone herself this time." she murmured. "So what lies behind all of these doors?"

I shook my head, bewildered. "I'm pretty sure the drug made it so the box would morph into this corridor, allowing us to access all the different universes that are at the same point back in our world. Remember how Velma said this isn't a time machine? That means we can't go forward in time, nor backwards, so each door must contain a reality of what life looks like had we gone in a different direction during any given point in our lives."

Daphne shivered. "This would be really interesting and even cool if that didn't mean we were so far from home now. How do we find _our _universe amongst all these doors? And where does this hallway even take us to if we follow it to the end?"

As Daphne spoke, her words slammed into me like a wave, and I felt the wonder receding as the horror steadily crept over me. "Maybe," I said, my voice low and shaky, "There is no end."

* * *

We walked together in silence for five minutes, both of us too terrified to suggest opening a door. For now, we were hoping that I was wrong, and that the hallway will somehow take us home, but nothing has changed: we only saw door after door after door, and the hallway with its smooth metal surface extended endlessly, and I felt like I was chasing a rainbow to find the illusive pot of gold.

I heard Daphne sigh, audibly frustrated, and she said, "So, I've been counting each of the doors on the left hand side since we started walking, and I'm up to 84. If you double that to add in the doors on the opposite side of the hallway, that brings us up to over 160, and that's just from a few minutes of walking. There's no end in sight, so that means we're bound to come across even more doors if we continue walking."

Feeling defeated, I stopped walking, letting the backpack slide off my shoulders as I sat, slumped against the wall. Daphne plopped beside me, and placed her hand on my knee and gave it a quick squeeze. Already, I felt the early twinges of thirst constricting my throat, so I unzipped my backpack and retrieved a water bottle, and quickly untwisted the cap so I could take a few sips. After I had finished, I passed the bottle to Daphne, but she passed, waving it away with her hand.

I tightened the cap on the water bottle and returned it to my backpack when a realization hit me. "Daph, remember what the multiverse Velma said before we left?" I asked. "We only have ten minutes before the drug wears off. What do you think will happen once it wears off?"

Daphne shuddered, shaking her head as she considered it. "I sure hope the box won't lock us in here forever, but I'm sure Velma would have mentioned that," she said. "Maybe it just means we have to make a choice within that ten minute time frame. We better get moving: we haven't even considered opening a single door yet!"

I stood, then offered Daphne my hand and pulled her up off the ground. We glanced at the doors nearest to us, looking from left to right, trying to determine where to even begin.

As I looked into Daphne's eyes and saw her fighting off panic, I knew that once again this was a crucial time for me to fulfill my duty as the leader of our now small and fragmented group. I laced Daphne's hand in mine and guided us to the door closest to us, then stopped, turning to her as I tentatively placed my hand on the knob.

Daphne thrusted her arms out in front of the door to prevent me from opening it. "Wait!" she cried. "What if there's something waiting behind there that could kill us?"

"That's a chance we have to take," I replied. "Look, it seems as though that hallway is never going to end, and even if it did, there is no guarantee that our universe is at the end of it, so either way, we're taking a chance. Eventually, the drug has to wear off, and we don't know what will happen when it does. There are hundreds and hundreds of doors for us to choose from, so we have to try _something_. If it doesn't go well, then we can always come back and try again. Okay?"

Daphne only nodded, but her eyes were shining, as if tears were threatening to fall any second. I leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead, then said, "Remember, we're in this together, and as long as we have each other, everything is going to be okay. Okay?"

She mustered a small smile then, and nodded. "Okay."

Grasping the cold, metal handle, I said to her, "On the count of three, I'm going to open the door, and we're going to step through, together. Ready?"

Daphne nodded, her lips pursued together in a tight line.

I drew a deep breath and held it in. "One."

"Two." Daphne chimed in, placing her hand over mine on the door knob.

We both looked at each other, as if seeking permission or confirmation before saying, in unison, "_Three._" At the same moment, we twisted the knob and pulled the door open, then slowly, slowly, craned our necks to glimpse what lay behind the door.

Standing about fifteen feet away from us was a rusted, wobbling, chain-link fence. Behind the fence was what appeared to be Coolsville High School, only the building was a dried out husk of the school that I knew from back home: windows were smashed, and the school was dark. Clearly, no one had occupied the school recently, or some sort of disaster had struck. What had happened in this universe to cause the school to look this way?

I timidly placed my right foot outside the box, keeping my left foot still rooted in the box. I could hear Daphne's shallow breathing from behind me as she hovered behind me in the box. I glanced to the right and left of me, and then I did a double-take by looking to the right again. Adrenaline slammed through my body, and my heart pummeled into my throat at the sight before me.

Standing about ten feet away was a wolf, glaring at me menacingly with its amber colored eyes. I could hear a growl simmering in its chest, and it threw its head back, emitting a high pitched howl. I saw the wolf's back flicker, just as the way a cat looks just before he pounces on a mouse, and a second later the wolf sprang forward, all limbs and intense amber eyes leaping towards me in the blink of an eye. My brain screamed at my body to move, but I felt as though I was frozen in place, and all I could do was stare at the wolf as he hurdled towards me, quickly closing the gap between us. A moment later, it was so close to me that I could see each of the individual white teeth through its snarl.

"Freddy, LOOK OUT!" Daphne yelped. She grabbed my arm and yanked me back into the box, then slammed the door closed just as the wolf was only three feet away from where I stood. A split second later, it was evident the wolf had collided into the door when we heard a loud thumping noise rattle against the door, causing the box to tremble. I shuddered; if Daphne had waited even just a second later, I would have been wolf food.

Daphne grasped my hand and lead me further down the hallway. "See?! I knew there was a chance that something was waiting behind that door so it could kill us!" she cried.

I shook my head, bewildered. "I'm so confused," I said. "Did you see what was beyond that fence? It was our school, or what used to be our school. What happened in that world to cause the school to look that way, and why was there a wolf just hanging around the city? I've never seen a single wolf in Coolsville my entire life!"

"Well, as you were saying earlier, Velma told everyone that this box is a means to any other universe existing at the same exact moment in our current world, so something must have happened in that world to cause Coolsville to be taken over by wolves or something," Daphne speculated. "Honestly, your guess is as good as mine. All I know is that that wasn't our home, and we aren't sticking around there long enough to figure out what's going on!"

We kept walking, and the hallway continued to extend before us, unfurling endlessly. I glanced at the watch around my wrist to gauge how much time we had remaining. "I think it's been about seven minutes," I said. "We should start opening more doors again."

We stopped, and Daphne drifted towards the door closest to us. I stepped beside her, and this time I yanked the door back without hesitation, so as not to give ourselves a chance to second guess ourselves.

Beyond the threshold of the door I could see a row of buildings towering over us, and when I read the names of the businesses on the store front, I immediately recognized that we were in Downtown Coolsville. But just as the school had looked destroyed and unoccupied, each of the buildings in Downtown Coolsville were also disheveled. Doors were missing and windows were smashed, and glass was strewn along the sidewalk. And then I saw a stream of liquid streaming down the street and draining into the sewer, and my eyes widened when I realized that it wasn't water, but something else.

_Blood._

When I heard a gurgling sound coming from the right of the door, I slowly turned my head, and I recoiled when I saw a zombie standing just a few feet away from me, eyeing me with its vibrant, shining blue eyes. He raised his arms and began to lurch forward, but I was ready this time, and I leaned back into the box, banging the door shut with a resounding thud.

Daphne and I turned to each other, our eyes wide and our mouths dropped open. I shook my head, astonished at what I had just witnessed. "Jesus Christ," I muttered, speechless.

"Okay, I am guessing that that was a universe where Shaina and her zombies successfully took over Coolsville," Daphne said, her voice sharp with anger. "Downtown Coolsville was where we defeated them, remember?"

I winced, overwhelmed at the idea that there was a universe that existed in which the gang and I had failed to stop Shaina from taking over the world by transforming everyone into zombies.

"This is so crazy," Daphne said. "Freddy, remember when we had that really bad snow storm last winter, and you were trying to drive me back to my house during the blizzard? When you were driving the Mystery Machine through the snow, it was a total whiteout, so you couldn't see anywhere as you were driving, and it was horrifying. That's exactly how I feel right now."

I nodded in agreement: Daphne's metaphor had appropriately described how I was feeling right now, as well. "We just have to keep going," I said. "Come on, the drug is going to wear off any second now!"

As if on cue, I felt a sharp tightening sensation in my forehead, as if I were receiving the early warning signs of a headache. When I blinked my eyes, the hallway was suddenly gone. The box had condensed back into its original, cubed shape, and one single, solitary door stood before us.

I gulped, and turned to Daphne. "Did you feel that pain in your head?" I asked. "I think the drug must have worn off."

"I definitely felt it, too," Daphne replied. "And judging from the way we only have one option to choose from now, I would say that you're right. I guess at least now we know what happens once the drug wears off."

"I sure do hope that whatever lies behind that door isn't as horrible as the other two," I said. "So far we've only opened two doors, but we haven't even stepped foot outside of the box yet because both options were so horrifying. Who knows what's waiting for us behind this door."

This time, Daphne stepped forward to grasp the door knob. She turned to me, her face pale with worry, but she still managed a smile. "As the old saying goes, maybe third time's the charm," Daphne said. She opened the door but immediately stepped back, retreating when snow streamed into the box and dusted the metal surfaced ground.

I stood beside Daphne to gaze out through the curtain of falling snow. Luckily, unlike with the previous two doors, there was no immediate threat in sight, and I could glimpse the silhouettes of trees and houses in the distance.

"It looks like there's a neighborhood up ahead," I said. "I don't think I recognize the street from here, but it's most likely Coolsville. I know this probably isn't our world since it wasn't snowing before we left, but on the small chance I'm wrong, I think we should check it out and see what's going on here. At the very least, we have no other options right now, unless we decide to drink another capsule right away, but we only have a limited amount between the two of us. What do you think, Daph?"

"I think I just want to get out of this box," Daphne replied. She stepped through the door, and I followed, but I winced when I immediately felt my shoes soak with water. I glanced at my feet to see that I was ankle deep in the snow.

Daphne shivered. "Jeepers, it sure is cold out here!"

The door to the box closed behind us, and we began moving, heading in the direction of the neighborhood ahead. The snow was beginning to fall faster now, and the cold made me feel as though thousands of needles were driving into my pores. I could see Daphne shaking as she walked beside me, and I jumped in alarm when I saw that the soft powder was accumulating so quickly that the snow was rising the further we walked. With each step, I could feel myself sinking, and the water squished in my shoes as my feet broke through a layer of deeper, older compacted snow.

In the few feet we had walked, the snow had risen from our ankles up to our knees. Beside me, Daphne was trembling like a leaf, and my heart panged in my chest when I realized that she had to be suffering in this extreme cold; whereas I was cold in my jeans and white shirt and blue jacket, she had to be freezing, as she was almost completely exposed and unprotected in her bare legs and her signature purple skirt and purple flats. I called to Daphne over the wind, asking if she was okay, but she only nodded, and we continued to push onward.

I was starting to second guess our decision to leave the box. At the time, it had seemed wise to save a capsule as we attempted to grapple with this world, but maybe that had been foolish. I shook the thought from my head stubbornly and gritted my teeth, focusing my attention on the houses sprinkled ahead of us, but when I blinked, the neighborhood had seemed to vanish before my eyes: all I could see was snow pummeling the ground ahead of us. I gasped, but continued to trudge through the snow, and I hoped that we were successfully moving towards the houses based on memory alone.

Then, the snow intensified even more than I thought was already possible. A driving wind blasted at us head-on, and we staggered backwards. I shielded my arms in front of my face in an attempt to protect myself from the cold, but there was little I could do to block the snow as it cut across my nose and eyes. Worse yet, the cold was starting to affect the way I moved; I couldn't feel my feet in my shoes, and my ears and cheekbones were stinging. And, it was gradually becoming more impossible to navigate our way through this blinding whiteout.

"We shouldn't have even tried this," I thought, as I stumbled again and almost fell into the soft white powder, which was now up to my thighs, and was still rising. "I screwed up. This isn't just cold: it's well below freezing, and this snow is only getting worse. I'm putting Daphne in danger by making her press onward."

As I thought of Daphne I turned to her, and my heart galloped in my chest when I saw her. She was shivering violently, and her red hair was matted with snow, making it appear as though it was completely drenched. When I saw her blue cheeks and the way her head was bobbing up and down, my fear spiked.

"Daph!" I cried, tripping through the snow as I moved towards her. She hardly reacted to me when I reached out to grab her hand, and I could see the faraway look in her eyes. I felt my throat constricting as my mind couldn't stop dwelling on just one thought: _Shock. _Daphne was so cold that her body was going into shock. And if I didn't do something to save her, to save us, soon, then she was going to die: we were both going to die.

"We need to go back to the box!" I screamed through chattering teeth. The wind was deafeningly loud and I wasn't initially sure if Daphne even understood me, but thankfully she nodded, even though it was slight. I spun back and faced the direction from where we had walked, but the box was gone.

"Oh my God," I uttered, as the fear began to mount within my chest. All around us, the snow was flying sideways, and everything looked the same no matter where I turned: a smooth layer of white crusted powder was coated everywhere.

I turned in the direction of where I thought the houses were standing. Daphne stumbled against me, mumbling incoherently, and my heart squeezed in my chest.

"Oh, Daph," I cooed. I bent down and lifted her in my arms, holding her tight against me. I could feel her shaking and shivering against my chest.

"This hurts," she whispered softly, and I pressed her even tighter against my chest.

"I know, baby," I said soothingly. My heart twanged again to see her suffering this way, and I cursed myself, hating the fact that she was in pain because I had insisted we leave the box. "Don't worry, I'm going to get us out of this," I whispered to her, and continued to trudge through the snow as I carried her in my arms.

As I walked, holding Daphne close to me and hoping that somehow what little body heat I had within me was warming her, even if just a little, I tried not to think of the fact that we were essentially trapped in a vortex of wind and snow that crashed into us and stabbed at our skin like thousands of sharp, tiny daggers. I tried to hold my head up high and move quickly, and I tried not to look down at my feet or Daphne as she convulsed in my arms, because the motion of it all induced vertigo, and I couldn't afford to stop for even a second, or we would both die out here, in the middle of nowhere, our bodies encrusted in a tomb of crystal and ice and snow.

"Daphne was right," I thought. "We only tried one capsule, and the very first world we decided to explore just might kill us. If we survive this, it will be a miracle."

I pushed this thought from my mind and continued walking, placing one foot in front of the other, my face on fire and the snow still biting and Daphne still mumbling deliriously. A few agonizing minutes passed, and somehow, the snow pelted even harder, and for the first time since I started moving, I seriously felt as though I couldn't keep walking, and any second now, I feared that I would stop, and I would sink into the snow holding Daphne, and I would wrap myself around her in an attempt to protect her, but knowing deep down it would be futile, and so we would die out here, holding each other. The thought that I would die hugging Daphne was the only small glimmer in the dark abyss, the only thing that made this even slightly tolerable.

They say when you're dying that your life flashes before your eyes. That didn't exactly happen for me then, but I did think of my parents, and I was crestfallen when I considered how my death would affect them. Then I thought of Velma and Shaggy and Scooby, and I fleetingly wished I could have just one more afternoon with my friends at Sherry's Diner, or more evening trapped in a haunted house with them, and proclaiming, "Well gang, it looks like we have another mystery on our hands!" and I wished I could hear them all groan in response at my cheesiness, just one final, last time. And most of all, I wished I had just one more chance to kiss Daphne, but right now, those same lips that I loved to kiss were turning blue as she shook look like a leaf in my arms, and there was nothing I could do to help her.

But then my heart sank when it dawned on me that my parents and Shaggy and Scooby and Velma probably wouldn't even miss me, because back home, in our universe, some other Fred and Daphne, some cheap imitation of us, was strutting through the halls of Coolsville High, and driving around in the Mystery Machine, and maybe even solving mysteries with _our _friends. And that cracked my heart wide open, and the raw anger pumping fresh adrenaline through my veins was enough to propel me forward. I slogged through the layers and layers of snow, snow that was now almost waist high, and my arms screamed at me as I continued to keep Daphne snuggled against my chest, but I kept moving, propelled by this desire to confront the multiverse Daphne and Fred, and this need to keep Daphne alive, until I finally saw a house looming just a few feet before us.

Relief flooded through me, and I was so ecstatic that I could feel my eyes brimming with tears, but the cold caused them to freeze and stick to my cheeks. I looked at Daphne in my arms, but my blood froze when I saw that her eyes were closed.

"Daph!" I shrieked over the screaming wind and snow.

Her eyes remained closed. I shook her gently, my pulse accelerating.

"Come on baby, please don't do this to me!" I begged her.

I shook her again, and this time, her eyes flickered open, but barely.

"Daphne, listen to me: we're going to be okay, but I need to you to stay with me!" I cried.

I tottered and plodded my way towards the house. Panic began to creep into my bones as I eyed the door, which was half buried by a hill of snow. Would anyone hear me if I knocked? Or worse yet, what if no one even answered me?

I stumbled to the front door and tried to still the terror I felt when I saw that Daphne's eyes had slid shut again. I didn't know how to knock while I was holding her in my arms, and I didn't want to set her down in the snow to free up my hands, so I lifted my left leg and knocked against the door, heavily, but the effort was laborious; the freezing conditions had numbed and slowed my actions, and it felt as though a torrent of silver needles were gushing through my thighs.

When I realized that kicking my legs against the door wasn't loud enough, I sighed, frustrated, and I repeatedly heaved my body weight against the door while screaming until my voice was raspy, "HELP! Is anyone inside?! It's an emergency – please open up!"

After a few frantic moments of this, there was still no response, and I began to panic as I imagined these precious moments slipping away like sand in a sieve. Despite the fact that my thoughts were starting to spin out, I knew that Daphne needed me to act fast. Still clutching Daphne to my chest, I wobbled over to the side of the house, where a window was rapidly disappearing beneath a mountain of snow. I paused, then glanced at Daphne, who had been shivering violently in my arms until now but had gradually become more and more still over the past few minutes, and without stopping to think for another second, I rammed my foot through the window.

The glass shattered instantly, and I kicked out the remaining jagged and sharp pieces of glasses before I leaned into the window to take in what appeared to be a little girl's room. The walls were painted a bright, pastel pink, and stuffed animals stood at attention on the frilly white comforter spread across the twin bed in the corner. I dropped onto the ground and gingerly placed Daphne on top of the bed. The cold wind and air was still slashing into my back, and I glanced towards the window where we had climbed in to see the snow pouring through the window; snow was already covering the bedroom floor, and I knew it would be wise to try and cover up the window. Glancing around, I noticed a wooden dresser on the other side of the room, and I dragged myself over to the other side of the room, and I willed myself to heave and shove the dresser over the gaping hole that was once the window.

Once I had sealed off the broken window, I swayed and stumbled towards the bed, where I had placed Daphne, and scooped her back into my arms. My breath hitched in my throat as I noted the blue cheeks and the blue lips, but her chest was rising gently, so she was still breathing.

I lurched out of the bedroom carrying Daphne and found myself in the middle of a hallway, which lead to a modestly sized living room. There was no sign of anyone living here, but there was a television mounted above a fireplace that overflowed with ashes, and two brown couches strategically faced the hearth. And better yet, I saw two wool blankets folded neatly on top of one of the couches. I moved quickly towards the fireplace, delicately placing Daphne in front of the hearth, and I snatched the blankets off the couch and wrapped them around her in an attempt to restore her body heat.

I dropped myself beside her and began to massage my hand over her heart, and I rubbed my hands against her cold arms in an attempt to restore the circulation in her veins, but her eyes were still closed and her breathing was still shallow. I placed my ear against her chest, listening for her heartbeat, and I could hear it pound gently, as if she was sleeping or just relaxed. "Baby, please wake up," I implored her softly. My eyes felt wet with tears, and I bit my lip to stop a sob from flying out of my throat.

"Come on baby, stay with me," I begged. "Please – I need you here with me."

I continued massaging Daphne's wrists and her heart, but what she really needed was more warmth. I clambered back to my feet and dashed back into the bedroom where we had climbed in, stripping the bed of its comforter and its thin bed sheets, and I flew back into the living room where I had left Daphne. I draped these sheets over her body, adding to the other ones that were already wrapped around her, and then I hobbled around the rest of the house to search for other blankets. As I moved, I could feel my fingers and toes and legs thawing, and the pain that ebbed and flowed throughout my entire body gradually dissipated.

When I returned to the living room, I was dragging six blankets behind me. I heaped these all onto her, and then I turned my attention to the fireplace before us, eyeing it wistfully. And then I remembered the knapsack that was still clinging against my backpack, and I could hear the multiverse Velma's voice drifting through my head as she listed off everything she had packed for us: "a compass, _some matches_, and a pocket knife." I dropped the backpack onto the ground and yanked it open, digging past the contents in the bag until my hands felt the box of matches nestled at the bottom of the knapsack. With trembling hands, I pulled a lighter from the box and struck it against the matchbox, sighing with relief when a flame danced before my eyes. I walked towards the hearth and threw the match into the fireplace, and a flame blazed and licked hungrily at the logs.

I lowered myself onto the floor and peeled away the layers of blankets piled on Daphne, sliding in so I could lie beside her. I pulled her into my arms, relieved to feel her body already significantly warmed. The color in her cheeks and lips was starting to return, but I still traced my fingers against her cheeks softly, as if proving to myself that the shock had worn off. I pressed my lips against her forehead and kept them there. Holding Daphne in my arms made me feel the safest and securest I had felt since we were kidnapped the other night, and I wanted her to feel the same way when she woke up.

About ten minutes later her eyes fluttered open, and I smiled at her as her eyes met mine. "Hey beautiful," I said softly, planting a kiss on her cheeks. "It's so good to see you awake."

Daphne's eyes were sparkling and that faraway look that had seeped into her irises earlier was gone, but she still dazed as she took in the living room around us. She wrapped her arms around my chest and burrowed herself against my neck. "Where are we?" she asked sleepily. "The last thing I remember is walking through that horrible snow storm. Are we home?"

I brushed a stray hair out of her face. "We're not home, unfortunately," I replied. "In fact, we're still in that same universe with the blizzard, but I managed to carry you into this house. Not sure who owns it, but no one's home, and I doubt they'll be back anytime soon with this weather."

Daphne smiled, and pressed her lips against mine. "Thank you for saving me," she breathed. "I thought we were going to die out there."

"I wish I had just made us stay in that box and drink another capsule," I grimaced. "But I think for now we should stay here and hunker down for a bit. Maybe there's a chance that blizzard will blow over, and at the very least, you need to rest up and get your strength back. And before we go back out there, we need to check this house for warmer clothes. You won't make it out there in your skirt and flats again."

Daphne yawned, and I brushed my hand through her hair soothingly as she rested her head on my chest. "How are we going to find the box?" she asked, her voice thick with drowsiness. "If we can't find it, then we'll be stuck here!"

I hoped she didn't hear my heart stutter in my chest as I considered her point, and my body trembled as I thought of the box hiding under a mountain of snow. She was right: I couldn't even see the houses until they were practically right in front of my nose. How were we going to survive long enough to find the box?

"Don't worry about it," I said, in what I hoped was a convincing and reassuring tone. "After we rest up, we'll find some warmer clothes in the house, and we'll go back out there and find that box. We'll be home in no time!"

I watched as Daphne gradually drifted off to sleep in my arms, and I kissed her forehead one final time. As I stared at her face, so peaceful and calm, I tried to still the shrieking voice in my head that berated me for putting her life at risk in this hell hole of a universe. I tried to block out the voice as it exclaimed that we were going to die, and I told myself that if we could survive walking through that blizzard, then we could survive anything.

But if I was being honest with myself, I couldn't ignore the fear that was gnawing at my heart behind my ribcage. Daphne and I were stranded in an abandoned home with limited supplies and a very limited amount of food, and the snow outside was accumulating by the second. Worse yet, the box was buried beneath heaps of snow, and I had no idea how we would manage to uncover it.

"Relax," I told myself. "You need to brave and rational about finding this box – Daphne is depending on it."

But if we froze or starved to death before that, then attempting to find the box would be the least of our worries.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

When I woke up several hours later, the first thing I saw was Daphne staring right back at me. We were still intertwined together, the same way we had fallen asleep last night; our arms were wrapped around each other protectively, and her feet were resting against mine. The fire I had started was still roaring in the fireplace, and I could feel the warmth of it lapping at my face and body, even from underneath the layers of blankets swathed on top of us. Outside, I could still hear the blizzard raging on, and occasionally, the house would rattle and creak in protest of the strongest gusts of wind and ice.

Daphne grinned at me, and for the first time since we had been kidnapped, it was a natural, genuine, open smile, one that wasn't forced or tinged with worry and sadness. I felt my stomach and bones and heart warm just staring at her, and I couldn't help but smile back. She leaned forward and kissed me on the nose.

"Hey you," I said sleepily, still smiling. "I hope you haven't been awake long."

"No, I've just been watching how peaceful and calm you looked while you were sleeping, and thinking," Daphne replied softly. "Freddy, thanks again for saving me from freezing to death. I know it wasn't easy to carry me through all that snow and wind, and I know I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you."

I felt my cheeks blush as I leaned in and kissed Daphne on the lips. "You don't have to thank me," I said. "You know I would never leave you, Daph. Remember, no matter what we see across this multiverse, I'm always going to be right here, next to you, to protect you and be there for you."

Daphne smiled again. "It's funny – I was just thinking about how we've been managing to get ourselves stuck in situations of extreme cold a lot lately. Remember when we were trapped in the basement with all those microchips on our last mystery, just before we started dating? I remember how you suggested we huddled together for warmth, and I wasn't sure if you were suggesting it to be practical, or if you were being flirty and had ulterior motives, but I was so glad you did suggest it, even if we did get interrupted by those two creepy guys."

Recalling that memory caused me to laugh sincerely from somewhere deep within my gut, and it was so loud that it filled the entire house and echoed throughout the living room. "Yea, I was partially being practical, but you were right to guess that I just wanted to be really close to you," I said, kissing her cheek again. "Can you blame me, though?"

After all the stress and tension of being kidnapped by gun point by other versions of ourselves and then meeting the multiverse Velma and Shaggy and Scooby and now nearly being killed in this blizzard, it felt great to hold Daphne and laugh with her: the tension surrounding our situation was melting away by just reminiscing and cuddling by the fire. But I intrinsically knew, and I think she knew, too, that sooner or later, we would have to leave this house and face the reality that our box was buried under mountains of snow, and if we did manage to find the box, there were hundreds and thousands of doors we had to sift through to find our home.

We held each other silently for a few more minutes, neither of us wanting to break this delicate moment where we could pretend that we were just laying together on a regular winter evening. But then I heard my stomach rumble and ache from not having eaten anything in so long. "Are you hungry?" I asked Daphne. "We should probably eat one of the protein bars Velma packed for us. We need the energy before we go back out there."

Reluctantly, we stripped the blankets off our bodies. Even though we had slept curled together, near a blazing fire with seven blankets piled on us, the house was still inconceivably cold, and the freezing air once again pricked my skin when I pulled the blankets off my body. Daphne sat near the edge of the brick covered hearth, and wrapped two blankets around her. I crawled over to the where I had placed the backpacks near the couch, and I unzipped the bags, retrieving two protein bars, one of which I tossed to Daphne, who caught it effortlessly. I unwrapped mine and devoured it ravenously, despite the fact that I wasn't a huge fan of peanut butter flavored bars. As I chewed, I couldn't help but think of Shaggy and Scooby, and for a moment I could identify with their desire to eat constantly. I would have given anything to be sitting down at a table spread with salads and steak and vegetables and mashed potatoes: just picturing the sight of a full dinner table made me salivate, but I resigned myself to being grateful for even this single protein bar.

Daphne was still chewing her protein bar, so I stood and rubbed my hands against my arms, hoping the friction would warm me up a bit. "I'm going to see what I can find in this house that may be useful for us," I said. As I spoke, I could see my breath visible, as puffs of steam wafted in front of me. "We can't stay here much longer, or we'll deplete our food, and if we aren't under the blankets, it's just as cold in this house as it is outside since the heat doesn't seem to be working. While I'm checking the house, I'll look out through a window and see if I can find the box from the house."

Daphne nodded, her mouth full of food, and I turned and went back to the little girl's room – the same room from where we had entered the house. By now, the snow that had shot in from the broken window had melted into the carpet, and as I walked, water seeped into my shoes. I opened the closet and yanked open dresser drawers, but nothing useful stood out to me. The clothes folded neatly inside the drawer looked as though they would fit a young child, and neither Daphne nor myself would have any use for that in this extreme cold.

I turned my attention towards the dresser that I had placed over the gaping window. Curiosity overtook me, and I shoved it out of the way, hoping to catch a glimpse of the world outside. Before the dresser was even completely out of the way, I knew it had at least stopped snowing, because there was no snow drifting in through the exposed window. After a lot of pushing and shoving and grunting, the dresser was finally out of my way, and I turned back to the gaping window frame, leaning out so I could see what was going on outside. Immediately, I was hit by a wave of freezing temperatures, in spite of the fact that the sun was shining directly on me. I squinted my eyes against the painful sunlight, and for a few seconds the glare coming off the ice was so intense that I couldn't see a thing. Once my vision adjusted, I blinked, taking in the waist-deep snow and the perfectly blue sky. For now, the wind was gone, but it was evident it had been intense for a while because there was no trace of our footprints in the snow: the compacted white powder was smooth and flawless. Now that it had stopped snowing, I could see other houses and trees from here, and I had a sense of where we were right now. This was definitely a suburb located in Coolsville, although it was a slice of Coolsville that I didn't frequent, since my friends and I lived on the other side of town.

Again, I wondered what was going on with Coolsville in this world, and most importantly, why was this house deserted? Even though the weather was less than desirable, had it been this way for a while, or was this recent? As I continued to gaze outside, I noted no signs of life, and I felt uneasy at the silence. The sound of birds chirping was noticeably absent, and since Coolsville was a relatively busier city, the sound of sirens and car horns blaring could often be heard from inside my house, but I didn't hear a single car engine purring or a single emergency vehicle screaming. Where had everyone gone then?

Squinting, I continued to survey the open streets and the field from where Daphne and I had nearly frozen to death yesterday. Even though the sun was shining and the day was clear and bright, I didn't see any sign of the box glinting in the sunshine. I took a deep breath, trying to swallow down fear that was constricting my throat.

Frustrated, I turned and walked back out into the hallway, this time following it in the opposite direction. On the left hand side of the hallway, a door sealed off a room, which I pushed open. I found myself facing a bathroom, which was appeared to be updated recently judging from the modern, glazed marbleized black and white countertops, and the matching black and white checkered tiles that were patched inside the shower. I spun on my heels, intending to continue onward since I didn't anticipate finding clothes or other items that would benefit us in a bathroom, but I did a double take, my eyes falling upon a newspaper draped casually on the toilet's tank. And my heart rate doubled when I gazed at the black and white photo plastered on the front page, and I instantly recognized the five smiling faces staring back at me.

Again, curiosity gnawed at me, and in an instant I snatched up the newspaper and unfurled it, scanning the article that corresponded with our photo. A large, bold headline printed above the photo proclaimed, **"MYSTERY INC., OR MYSTERY STINK? CRIME SOLVING TEENS FAIL TO STOP THE EVIL JACK FROST GHOST IN HIS QUEST TO FREEZE OUT COOLSVILLE." **My pulse quickened, and my breathing increased to match my heart beat, causing my breath to float in front of me in frantic puffs of smoke. I knew that I should just put the newspaper down and walk away, but I couldn't stop myself from skimming the rest of the article: _"The Mayor of Coolsville has officially declared a state of emergency in response to the inclement weather, which shows no sign of changing after the evil Jack Frost Ghost unleashed frigid, below zero degree temperatures, and wave after wave of blizzards. Unfortunately, our once loveable crime solving group of teens has failed in putting a stop to this mystery. It is rumored that Jack Frost is clearing the city of people because there is gold buried beneath the town, and he wants to freeze everyone out so that it can belong to him. When the teens attempted to intervene and stop Jack Frost's plan, they came up short. Yesterday morning, Jack Frost released a video of the four teens and their dog Scooby Doo encased in a block of ice, effectively proving that the teens would no longer be meddling in his quest to freeze out the city. Citizens of Coolsville are shocked and disappointed that the group couldn't get the job done this time, and now, the Mayor has called for a complete evacuation of the city in order to save what is left of the town. Citizens who fail to flee by tomorrow night will remain in the city at their own risk."_

I read the story three more times, and by the final time I read the story, a metallic, copper taste coated the roof of my mouth. The words wouldn't stop churning in my mind, but somehow, I still struggled to comprehend what I had just read. My mouth suddenly felt parched, and I could feel the saliva gathering behind my teeth, which only meant one thing: I flipped the lid up on the toilet seat and aimed into the porcelain bowl as wave after wave of vomit wracked throughout my body.

* * *

"There you are! Where have you been this entire time? Did you find anything useful, and could you see the box from the window? And why do you have a newspaper in your hand?"

Daphne eyed me with concern as I stood over her beside the fireplace, which had reduced itself to a pile of glowing embers in the time since I had left her. I could only imagine how I looked to her right now: I had spent the last twenty minutes scraping myself off the bathroom floor after reading the newspaper article on what had happened to Mystery Inc. in this universe, and before I had exited the bathroom, I had caught sight of my pale and waxy complexion in the mirror. Silently, I just shook my head, and I dropped the newspaper at her feet. The blankets that were draped around her shoulders slumped to the ground as Daphne reached forward and grabbed the newspaper. Her eyebrows rose and her eyes narrowed as she read the article.

"We failed here," I muttered, a cross between anger and frustration seeped within my voice. "That's why this weather is so bad. We've never failed to unmask a villain or stop a mystery in our entire lives, and in this world, we failed so bad that everyone had to evacuate the damn city!"

I watched Daphne's eyes move across the page as she continued to read. When she finished, she didn't say a word. Instead, she pulled herself off the ground, and walked over to where our backpack sat, unzipped and open, by the couch. She reached inside and fished out the box of matches, and withdrew a match from its box. She swiped it against the box in one swift motion, and when the flame danced before her eyes, she walked over to the hearth and tossed it into the almost completely dead fire. Then she bent down and picked up the newspaper in her hands, and she tossed it into the flames. The fire didn't hesitate to chew up the newspaper, and in a matter of seconds, the pages of the paper were charred and blackened, and a few flapped and jumped amongst the flames like the wings of a bird.

She turned to me with a look in her eyes that I couldn't decipher. "Okay, so we didn't stop the bad guy in this world," she said. "But, Fred, that isn't us. I'm here with you, you're here with me, and Velma and Scooby and Shaggy are waiting for us back home. I know it's kind of bone-chilling to see all these other versions of ourselves and to consider all of the 'what-if's,' but we'll go crazy if we keep thinking that way. Besides, we've never even faced a Jack Frost Ghost! The Mystery Inc. in this world must have had some mysteries exclusive to their world. Why are you beating yourself up over a failed mystery that we haven't even run across back home?"

How did I explain to Daphne that even though this wasn't our world, as the leader of Mystery Inc., I still felt partially responsible for this overwhelmingly large failure? How did I get her to understand how it pressed down on my shoulders so heavily that I couldn't even keep my back straight? How did I explain to her that when I read how my friends were frozen and probably dead, trapped within a giant cube of ice, all I could do was puke endlessly into some stranger's toilet because the thought of getting my friends killed literally made me feel ill?

Maybe I should have tried to express all of this to Daphne, but I didn't; deep down, I knew that she was right. I knew that it was a waste to feel guilty over a world that wasn't my own, and I knew that, if we were lucky, we would be leaving it behind soon enough. And yet, there was still some small part of me that couldn't help will away the pain and guilt crushing my chest right now.

Daphne must have sensed this, because she closed the space between us and enveloped me in her arms, her hands rubbing tiny circles across my back. I burrowed my head into her neck, inhaling the smell of her apricot scented hair, and sighed.

"Sorry, Daph," I said. "I know it's silly of me to feel this way, but I guess I was just so shocked. I figured the reason it was snowing didn't have anything to do with us."

"And it still doesn't have anything to do with us," Daphne pointed out. "This world may try and tell you so, but that isn't us on the front page of the newspaper. What we are is two people who are about to leave this cold, cold world in search of our _real_ home."

* * *

A few hours later, we stood in the midst of the silent street, waist-deep in the snow again and shivering, in spite of the fact that we're wearing layer upon layer of winter clothes that we raided from the house that we had just occupied. In the field ahead of us, there was no sign of any footprints, human nor animal, and there still wasn't any sign of the box, as well. There was nothing around us besides smooth, unbroken snow.

"This street and the field are so huge," Daphne said, her teeth chattering. "How will we ever find that tiny box buried underneath all this snow?"

I shook my head, hoping that I could provide some sort of answer for her, but I had no idea. I glanced back at the now half-buried house where we had stayed for the past several hours, wondering for a terrifying moment how long we could survive out here. Even though it wasn't snowing and the wind had died down, it was only a matter of time before the snow started dumping on us again, and even though we were much more prepared in terms of clothing, it was still too frigid for us to stay out here for extended periods of time. If we had to return to the house because it started snowing again, or because we failed in finding the box, how long would it be before our firewood and matches ran out? How long would it be before our food supply ran out? We had already killed four protein bars between the two of us, and even though we still had about twenty remaining, that wasn't going to be enough to sustain us. Before we left, we ransacked that family's kitchen for food, but found nothing; if we were forced to go back to that house, we would be constrained to only the power bars remaining in our backpack.

I could feel the fear building in me like a dark pressure mounting in my chest, and panic stalked me from all angles. Daphne was right: finding the box by chance was going to be relatively impossible, especially if it was going to be tucked beneath mountains of snow.

And then I heard Daphne gasp beside me. "Fred," she said, her voice rising with excitement. "Remember what Velma said at the science fair when she unveiled her invention? _The box is made of a magnetic field_. And do you remember how the multiverse Velma mentioned that she packed a compass for us in that backpack?!"

I paused, trying to register what Daphne was implying, and then it hit me. I framed her face in my hands and kissed her hard on the mouth. "Oh my God, you're a genius!" I cried, as I let the backpack slide off my shoulders. She beamed as I rifled through the backpack, searching for the compass. Once I found it, I grasped it in my hands, which were now trembling with excitement and anticipation, and we waded through the snow as we dashed past the houses and trees toward the general direction of the field where the box had left us the other day.

I thought it would be difficult to find the cube because the box's magnetic field pushed the compass needle away from it, but in a matter of minutes, as we stood in the middle of the field, the compass needle swung rapidly from east to west. "Oh my God, I think we're right on top of the box!" I screamed. "Daphne, help me dig through this snow!"

We dug and clawed at the snow beneath our feet like wild animals, and the snow seeped through my gloves, stinging my fingers and hands. About three feet down, my palm smacked against the metal surface of the box. We kept digging, faster and faster now, propelled by the promise of getting out of here soon, and because the snow and the water was soaking through my coat, causing my limbs to once again move from cold-driven agony into a blinding numbness. And finally, when my stiff, half-frozen fingers grazed the top of the open door, Daphne and I both whooped and shouted so loud, it echoed and resounded across the frozen city.

Ten minutes later, we were shedding our soaked winter clothes and walking down the never-ending hallway with its infinite number of doors once again. As the multiverse Velma had promised, drinking the drug was getting easier and easier to manage, and this time, Daphne and I only had to sit on the ground for a minute after we consumed our next capsule.

"We're down to 18 capsules a piece now," Daphne reminded me, as we passed mahogany door after mahogany door. "So that only gives us 18 more chances to find our universe amongst all these doors. I hate to say it, but as the old saying goes, this feels a little like finding a needle in a haystack."

I nodded, adding, "I wish there was some way of knowing what was behind each door before we wasted time leaving the box, or even some way of controlling what we see when we open the door."

"What else do you think we'll see as we keep opening more doors?" Daphne asked. "I have a feeling we aren't going to find our home universe on the first or even second or third try. We might see more crazy things or weird versions of us in the multiverse!"

"Honestly, as long as I don't see another universe where you're with some other loser, then I think I'll be good!" I chuckled light-heartedly. Daphne shot me a look, and I couldn't help but laugh. I put my arm around her side and pulled her against my side, kissing her on the cheek as I drew her to me. "Hey, it was just a joke!"

"Maybe it was a joke, Freddy, but I guess I had never considered that before," Daphne said gravely. "What if there are other worlds where we aren't together, and you or I is dating someone else?"

"I seriously doubt it," I said. "Me and you being together is like fate, and I couldn't imagine that there is a single world where we aren't together!" She beamed at me, and we continued walking hand-in-hand, eyeing all of the doors ahead and behind us. After a minute, we both stopped, and turned to face a door to the right of us.

"We might as well start trying another door," I said, turning to Daphne. I reached out and grasped the cold metal knob. "Are you ready?"

"I guess I'm ready as I'll ever be," Daphne responded. I twisted the door knob in my hand, and tentatively, we both climbed through the threshold of the door.

It was immediately evident that we weren't in Coolsville, but I wasn't sure exactly where we were in this world. It was evening, and the only light around was provided by the street lights that stood along the side of the road.

"Should we follow this street and see where it takes us?" Daphne asked.

"Honestly, I'm not sure," I replied. "I don't see any immediate threat though, and the weather here is safe enough; it's not hot, and it isn't cold, so we should be fine to walk. But I don't think the box dropped us off in Coolsville this time for some reason."

"Maybe this is our home universe, only for some reason, the box dumped us in a town or city nearby?" Daphne wondered aloud. "I think it would be worth looking into."

I nodded. "All right – let's follow this street into the nearest town. Maybe we can find someone and get a sense of what kind of world we're in this time. If this isn't our universe, then we'll leave as soon as we figure it out, so we don't waste any additional time or risk any more danger."

We continued walking for at least a mile, silent as we gazed at our surroundings. Everything looked normal enough, but neither of us recognized any landmarks. So far, we had only passed trees and a few dark houses on the side of the road, and at this point, we weren't sure what to expect as we continued.

Suddenly Daphne gasped, and she pointed at something in the distance. "Jeepers," she murmured. "Freddy, look up ahead! It looks there's a sign up there. Maybe it's the name of the town."

I squinted my eyes, trying to make out what the sign read in the darkness, but I could only see the outline of something that looming up ahead. We moved a few more feet, stopping once we reached what appeared to be the outskirts of a town, which was evident from a sign that arched across the street. When I gazed up at the sign, for some unexplainable reason, all the air left my lungs, and I shuddered, my flesh suddenly covered in goosebumps.

Standing above us, the sign read: **Crystal Cove: The Most Hauntedest Place On Earth.**

* * *

Author Note: I know I usually post my notes at the start of every chapter, but I didn't want to give away any spoilers! I hope you are all looking forward to the SDMI crossover/canon references in the upcoming chapters. Also, special thanks and shout-out to thequeenxofhearts, who has been so helpful with a few suggestions and ideas regarding something to come later on in this story. Thanks for all the help, girl! - iamacliche


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: **I hope you are all doing well! Here is a small update. This is switching back to the original Velma's POV, so no update on Fred and Daphne in Crystal Cove quite yet - hopefully soon! This summer has been a really busy one for me, but thanks for the continuous support in this story! I hope you continue to enjoy this, and as always, please review! - iamacliche

* * *

**Chapter 9**

The day after the gang skipped school for an impromptu trip to Sherry's for the afternoon, Velma was sitting in the courtyard behind the school, leaning against the ivy-covered brick wall. As Velma bit into a bologna and cheese sandwich smeared with mustard, some mustard drained down her arm and stained the sleeves of her sweater, but she didn't even notice – she was too busy watching her friends. A few feet away from where Velma sat, Fred was tossing a blue Frisbee to Scooby and Shaggy, both of whom almost always failed to grab it, but seemed to enjoy the effort of playing catch nonetheless. Daphne was laughing at Shaggy and Scooby as they sailed through the air in an effort to catch the Frisbee, and she would double over with screams every time their attempts were halted when they smacked into each other in mid-air.

As Velma watched her friends, one word floated to her mind – _weightless. _That was the only way she could describe Daphne, and especially Fred, over the past 24 hours. Even though the pair had been considerably happier since they started dating a few months ago, this new aura of intensity surrounding them both had shredded through even that sunny glow that surrounded a couple in a fresh and exciting, new relationship. For one thing, Fred and Daphne were genuine in their claims of living in the moment; Velma hadn't seen either of the two glance at their phone throughout the past two days, and both of their smiles were wider, brighter, and more freely given. Additionally, both Daphne and Fred sincerely soaked up each and every moment they spent with Shaggy, Velma, and Scooby; whenever Velma spoke about ideas concerning a new invention, or Shaggy complained about the work load in one of his classes, or Scooby rambled about his love for food, both Daphne and Fred would lean forward and listen raptly, their eyes glistening and their faces still, as if drinking in every word their friends had to say; Fred and Daphne clearly treated each conversation as if it would be the last, no matter how insignificant or small. While Velma had to admit that this amplified attention felt warming and comforting, and as reassuring as the first few sips of hot cocoa on a winter day, she also had to acknowledge that it felt slightly unsettling. When Fred or Daphne looked at Velma, she couldn't help but feel like one of the subjects that she scrutinized under a microscope lenses in the Coolsville High School science lab, and she squirmed uneasily beneath the extra attention. Beneath the layers of smiles and belly laughs and hugs that lingered just a few seconds too long, there was something Fred and Daphne were concealing, something that almost revealed itself in flashes of blue and white light when Velma tried squinting hard enough, but it was always gone in an instant, before she could even see it.

"Is something horribly wrong, and they're just too afraid to say it?" Velma pondered silently. "Is Freddy sick, and only Daphne knows, so they're putting on a front? Is Daphne having second thoughts about going away to college? Is there something going on with both of their home lives? Or worse yet, is one of them seriously ill?"

"Hey, Velma! Why don't you come and play catch with us? I think Shaggy and Scooby could use your help!"

Velma jerked, her thoughts rattled by Daphne's musical, xylophone laughter and her warm, beautiful smile, and guilt instantly wracked throughout Velma's body. Maybe the difference was pure, and maybe it truly was Daphne and Fred's newfound appreciation for life after nearly being hit by a car, and they were invigorated by taking in the blue, crisp, cloudless autumnal day, and the fiery leaves strewn around the lawn outside Coolsville High, and the communal energy of the student body that surged and crackled through the hallways and spilled out into the courtyard as classmates gossiped and laughed in tight clusters around the courtyard.

"Or maybe I should stop over analyzing this: maybe the difference isn't with them, but with _me,_" Velma thought, returning Daphne's smile as she stood to dust the sandwich crumbs from her skirt. As Velma strode over to meet her friends, Fred tossed her the Frisbee, and as she reached out her hand and caught it one swift, fluid jump, Velma realized that she, too, could feel her heart expanding in her chest, and she attributed it to being alive and with her friends, here, in this moment, and enjoying a game of Frisbee during the middle of the afternoon, in the middle of this city that her and her friends loved so much.

* * *

A few hours later, after the final bell shrilled to commence the end of the school day, Velma shoved her way through shoulders and book bags and students doling out high fives as she made her way to the locker she shared with Daphne. When Velma's eyes fell upon Daphne, as was the case yesterday, the red head was again gazing into the locker with surprise and amusement, as if she were expecting Velma's books to be missing. Velma scratched her head with confusion: why had Daphne been so shocked to see Velma's belongings stacked chaotically in the locker? Nothing had changed since the two had decided to conjoin lockers, so why was Daphne behaving this way? Was it connected at all with Daphne's fresh perspective on life?

Velma knew she should take this opportunity to ask Daphne all of this, and she opened her mouth to voice all of these questions as she stood before Daphne, but at that moment, Shaggy appeared, leaning one hand against the other lockers coolly as he eyed Velma and Daphne with a twinkle in his chocolate brown eyes. Velma felt her throat constrict, and she instantly understood the old cliché of having butterflies in flitting around in one's stomach because her gut felt tingly and light, and when she tried to speak her tongue felt thick, as if it were leaden with cotton or wool.

"Like, hey Velms, hey Daph!" Shaggy smiled. "Freddy was just asking if Scoob and I would like to meet up with him after school for some football and some time with just us guys. Is that all right with you two? Maybe you can, like, have a girl's day to yourself!"

Before Velma could respond, Daphne replied, "Sure, Shaggy! It's been so long since Velma and I have done something with just the two of us. You two go have fun!"

Shaggy flashed Velma and Daphne another smile. "Groovy! See ya later then!" And before Velma could protest that Shaggy hated football and anything even remotely athletic, or cobble together anything remotely articulate or slightly flirty, he spun on his foot and was gone. Velma felt something simmering in her heart, something that felt like a combination of sadness and regret. Between unveiling her new invention and worrying about Fred and Daphne, she had little opportunity to consider how she was going to tell Shaggy about her feelings, and at this rate, it wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Once upon a time, Velma had lectured Daphne on skinny love when Daphne had bemoaned having a crush on Fred, but lately Velma was making herself into a hypocrite.

Velma sighed. "Oh, Daphne," she said softly. "I know what you're thinking – how will Shaggy ever know how I am feeling about him if I remain silent. Well, I just can't – hey, why are you looking at me like that?!"

Daphne was staring at Velma, her eyebrows furrowed and her mouth gaping open. A second later her mouth began to spasm, as if she wrestled with the instinct to burst out in laughter. Velma's eyes pricked with tears and her heart deflated when Daphne finally managed to sputter, "You're-you're-you're _in love with Shaggy?!_"

"Keep your voice down!" Velma grabbed Daphne by the shoulders and shook her, her eyes darting wildly around the hallway, but everyone had already raced out of the building for the day. "Goodness gracious Daphne, why are you acting so shocked about this when you've known for _months _now!"

Daphne shook her head, her red hair bouncing around her shoulders. "Oh uh, that's right, I guess I did! It's just that, I would have never thought you and Shaggy would ever have a _thing _together, and it took me by surprise, and – wait, Velma! Where are you going?!"

Velma didn't wait to hear what Daphne had to say, and she was already halfway down the hallway, the hot tears pouring down her cheeks and blurring her vision as she walked. How could Daphne be so insensitive and forgetful about something like this, especially since they talked about this exact subject multiple times every week, and especially after Velma had listened to Daphne endlessly when she had rambled on and on about the crush she had on Fred? As Velma ran, she heard Daphne's heels clicking as her friend chased after her, and when Daphne caught up to Velma she gripped her arm. "Just wait, Velma! Please!" Daphne begged, her voice strained with worry and hurt.

Velma whirled around and faced Daphne, her eyes narrowed and burning with rage. "I get it!" Velma shrieked, wagging her finger close to Daphne's face, as if she were a parent scolding a child. "I always worried that you thought my crush was juvenile, but you were just too being too nice for my benefit! I don't know why you're willing to revel in my stupidity all of a sudden, but I wish you had just told me how silly I was being from the start!"

Velma lurched away from Daphne's clutch, reeling as if Daphne contained some sort of contagious disease, but she instantly felt a pang of guilt when Daphne's face paled. She had every intention of walking right out of Coolsville High School and walking home alone, but she remained anchored in place as Daphne pleaded and cried with Velma to listen.

Velma sighed. "I'm listening, but this better be a good explanation," she said seriously. "I mean it, Daph."

Daphne's midnight eyes welled with tears as she stepped towards her friend pleadingly. "Velma, I promise you, I didn't forget about your crush on Shaggy," Daphne began, her voice wobbly with emotion. "It's just that, with what happened with Freddy and I almost being hit by that car, I haven't quite felt like myself lately. Every day when I wake up, I realize how lucky I am to have you and Shaggy and Scooby and Freddy back in my life, and I'm so worried that it could all be snatched away from me again, that I can't focus on anything else. And I think the stress of it all has caused me to be totally scattered and absent minded, so that's why I may be slow to remember certain things lately."

Velma felt her anger waning as she stared at Daphne, who stood before Velma with her hands clasped together, as if she were literally begging Velma for something, and Velma realized that perhaps she had been too harsh towards Daphne; after all, her and Freddy had a fairly traumatic brush with death recently, and Velma had treated her two best friends with suspicion and distrust since then. Why couldn't she just bask in Fred and Daphne's new glow?

Velma reached forward to hug her friend. "I'm sorry, too, Daph," Velma said. "Really, I am. I've been a fool to act so suspiciously towards you and Freddy since your accident, and now this. I guess I just feel a bit insecure with my feelings towards Shaggy, especially since I worry that he doesn't reciprocate, and I have been so stressed out and distracted with my new invention that I've let the irritation get the best of me."

Daphne hugged Velma back and stood back to smile at her friend. "Oh Velma, no hard feelings!" Daphne laughed, wiping her eyes of stray tears. "I'm just glad that everything is cool between us!"

"Everything is fine, Daphne, but I will say that I can't help but worry about you and Freddy," Velma admitted. "I hope this doesn't come across as insensitive, but I have to ask – are you sure you and Freddy are okay? I know you guys were almost hit by that car, but you've been acting kind of different since then. It's not necessarily in a bad way, it's just – "

"Overly zealous?" Daphne replied.

"Exactly!" Velma snapped her fingers. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to complain. I guess I just don't see where it's all coming from. Are you sure you guys are okay? Is there something wrong, and you're not telling me and the rest of the gang?"

"Velma, I promise you, I'm fine, and so is Freddy," Daphne said with a smile.

"So this new attitude and demeanor is all because you two were almost hit by a car in Coolsville High School's parking lot a couple nights ago?"

Daphne nodded eagerly. "I promise you, that's all it is, Velma. I don't know if it was my life flashing before my eyes or what, but the next day, everything felt different, almost like brand new, and much more real – the gang especially. Every time I see you all, it's like I'm seeing you for the first time, and when I think about losing you guys and losing mystery solving, I have this nervous feeling in my stomach. Fred feels the same way, too. He is constantly talking about all the choices we've all made up until this very moment, and the possible events that could have prevented us from being friends, and that moment where we were almost flattened like a pancake, and we just can't believe that we're here in Coolsville with you and Shaggy and Scooby, solving mysteries and having a blast. I don't know – lately, everything just feels so, so –"

"So what?!"

"So _fragile_." Daphne finished. She paused, pensive for the moment, and added, "I guess this has all come about since you invented that cube, Velma. You see, before your invention, we had never considered that there was a world out there in which the five of us had split up and stopped solving mysteries. And now, since we were nearly killed, we think about how there is a world where we were killed and everyone is mourning us, but for some reason, thinking of a reality where we aren't friends hurts the most. So when you asked me if something is wrong, on one hand, we've never been happier, but on the other, both Freddy and I feel so overwhelmed with how delicate each and every moment can be."

When Daphne finished speaking, Velma felt her heart stirring behind her chest, but she didn't know how to reply. She was taken aback by Daphne's candid response, and wasn't sure what to say.

"Gee, Daph," Velma finally cleared her throat and replied. "Even though I am the one who created the multiverse, I guess I never looked at it that way. When I created the cube, it was with a means to end world hunger and poverty in mind, and I wanted to use it as a blueprint guiding us on how to avoid tragedies that were rampant in other worlds. But I admit, I never considered how it could be so impactful on each person individually, especially with Mystery Incorporated. I apologize for being so absorbed with my work lately; I admit that I was suspicious of you and Freddy's new attitude, but really, it is admirable. I could take a cue from you two and appreciate every moment we all have together more, especially since I'm not sure where we will end up after high school ends."

At this, Daphne flinched, and Velma felt the worry flicker across her face, but in the next instant Daphne had composed herself, as if nothing had even happened. "And I'm sorry if you think I was taking your crush lightly, Velma," Daphne replied softly. "I hope you can find the patience to bear with me if I become forgetful again."

Velma beamed, and slid her arm through her friend's. "I think we need to take advantage of that girl's afternoon if the guys are doing their own thing," Velma said. Daphne smiled in return, and the two began to head towards the exit of the school. "I'm not much for shopping, but if it will make you happy again, then I say we hit the Coolsville shopping mall!"

Daphne beamed back at Velma, and nodded vigorously. "That sounds like a plan, Velma!" Daphne exclaimed, as she shoved the doors open and the two friends stepped out into the sunshine and brisk fall afternoon. "And Velma, just know that I believe if there are a million worlds out there, there's none better than right here, right now, with you and Freddy and Shaggy and Scooby by my side while we solve mysteries. I'm more sure of that than I am of anything in the world!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Crystal Cove!? The most hauntedest place on Earth?! But I thought for sure that title belonged to Coolsville!" Daphne exclaimed.

I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again, as if doing so would magically alter our surroundings, but when I blinked again, the sign that loomed above us still proclaimed: **Crystal Cove: The Most Hauntedest Place On Earth.** I turned to Daphne, who looked equally aghast as me. "Yeah, if we thought Coolsville was bad, I'm kind of worried to see what makes this town think they rank any worse. And for some reason, I have a strange feeling about this place, but I can't quite put my finger on what that is."

It was true: in just the few minutes we had been here, I was overwhelmed by this town's eerie and unsettling appearance: I would venture to say it even felt supernatural. The late evening sky was tinted with smears of purple and deep, navy blues, and the only light offered was illuminated by the street lamps, and even those were tinged with a yellowish-green, milky light. And just as was the case with the last world, there was no sign of another person nearby: the silence was so profound that I could hear the current humming through the power lines above us. The only sign of life was a stray black cat with a corkscrew tail, and he was slinking across the road with a dead rat dangling limply from its jaws. And yet, in spite of all this, something tugged me forward, so that I began to pass underneath the sign with this city's ominous declaration, as if an invisible magnetic force propelled me by force. Before I could take another step forward, I felt Daphne tug on my arm.

"Maybe we should head back to the box," Daphne murmured. "This place is giving me the creeps!"

"It's freaking me out too, Daphne, but for some reason, there is something almost familiar about this place," I said. "Like I said, I can't quite put my finger on it, but something is telling me we should check it out. I'm not sure if that will necessarily lead us back home or not, but we can't pass on the chance that this will help us somehow."

I was struggling to find the right words to convey what it was about Crystal Cove that was so intriguing to me, but standing before this city sparked an emotional response deep within my gut. Standing here felt like those first few disorientating moments after you wake up from the tail end of a sweet, sugar-coated dream, and I wanted to see what stood behind those city gates to trigger this intense reaction to a place I never even knew existed.

"But the vibe is all wrong here, Freddy," Daphne pointed out. "There's no possible way this can take us back home. Can't you feel it in the air?"

"You're right, something does feel off," I agreed. "But I can't ignore my gut on this one, even if I tried. I promise, at the first sign of danger, we'll turn back. It won't be hard to find the box if something bad happens since it's out in the open this time, and I really want to give myself the chance to see what's going on here."

Daphne sighed, replying, "Okay, Freddy. But seriously, as soon as it's obvious there's some sort of danger, we're heading back to the box!"

We crossed through the entrance of Crystal Cove and passed through a residential block of houses. The houses appeared normal enough; just like the homes back in Coolsville, each ranged in various sizes, and almost all of them were neat and presentable, so the people in these suburbs clearly cared about their town and their home ownership. We passed houses with green, freshly cut lawns, and white picket fences, and gardens with flowers that burst with reds and yellows and oranges. But in spite of this feeling of orderliness and tranquility, there was a disconcerting air simmering beneath the surface. At first, I struggled to articulate what it was until I realized that in spite of the neat appearance of the houses, each house felt cloaked and darkened, as if the homeowners didn't want to be noticed. The drapes in each of the windows were shuttered and the lights were dimmed, and even though there were cars parked in driveways and the occasional tricycle strewn along the sidewalk, the silence still spliced through the evening sky: I never knew that silence could feel so paradoxically deafening and maddening until now.

"There is something strange about this neighborhood," I said to Daphne. "Clearly, this town isn't deserted, because all of these houses are well-kept and maintained, but there isn't a sign of anyone around."

"I noticed that, too," Daphne nodded. "I know it's evening time, but it feels like everyone is locked away in their houses, almost as if they're afraid of being outside, or being noticed. I wonder what it could be?"

I have to admit that even though I was the one who insisted on checking out Crystal Cove, I felt a shiver snake down my spine as we continued walking down the street. Daphne was right; something about this town had a peculiar vibe, and maybe it was foolish of me to suggest that we waste our time checking out Crystal Cove all because I was having some bizarre emotional reaction. I turned to her, ready to swallow my pride and suggest turning back to find the box, when a flash of neon green and blue glimmered out of the corner of my eye and caught my attention.

Daphne gasped. "Freddy, look over there – it's the Mystery Machine!"

She was right: our van was parked on the side of the road, just down the street. We scurried past more darkened and shuttered homes, our feet barely touching the pavement as the excitement that coursed through our bodies carried us towards the Mystery Machine. Once we were standing before the van, I blinked, observing our surroundings, and noticed that we were standing in the midst of what appeared to be some sort of shopping plaza. Neon signs flashed the names of various restaurants and shopping outlets, but just like with the houses in the suburbs we had just passed, even though the businesses were clearly running there wasn't any sign of a single person filtering in and out of stores, in spite of the fact that this should have been a hub for entertainment.

I collapsed against the Mystery Machine and wrapped my arms against its exterior, as if I were embracing a person. I felt a laugh bubble inside my chest. "Gosh! I never thought I'd be so happy to see the Mystery Machine!" I exclaimed.

"But what is the Mystery Machine doing here?!" Daphne wondered. "You could be right after all, Freddy; this isn't Coolsville, but maybe Velma and Shaggy and Scooby are here for a mystery. Do you think that means the Fred and Daphne who captured us are here, too?"

I felt a flash of both panic and rage glimmer beneath my chest at the thought of the multiverse Fred and Daphne being nearby somewhere. If this was the case, Daphne and I had no plan for confronting them: what if they were armed still, and tried to kill both of us, or even Shaggy, Velma, and Scooby? I hadn't anticipated the possibility of finding our home so soon, and now that this chance had materialized right before our eyes, I wasn't sure I was prepared.

I peered through the windows of the van, but it was empty: there was no sign of anyone from the gang. "Where do you think Mystery Inc. could be right now?" I asked Daphne. "I think the van might be parked here because our friends, or whichever version of Mystery Inc. that exists in this world, must be out walking around right now."

I heard Daphne gasp, and her voice was shaky as she responded, "Uhh, Fred? I think – I think I might see them."

She pointed across the street towards a restaurant, which was evident by the giant, red neon sign that read, "The Bloody Stake Restaurant." The restaurant was clearly going for a theme and playing off of a pun, as the outline of the sign resembled the shape of a vampire; my eyes widened at the sight of his dark, beady eyes, his jet black hair, his pointed fangs, and his unfurled wings. This restaurant emphasized how truly paranormal and eerie Crystal Cove was, and again I shuddered, and my chest felt heavy. But then my gaze shifted towards the entrance of The Bloody Stake, and my shoulders relaxed and a wave of relief washed over me when I saw Scooby standing next to Shaggy, who was unmistakable in his characteristic green shirt and red pants, and Velma was next to him with her distinctively short, brunette hair, and her orange turtleneck sweater. But in spite of these obvious physical traits that clearly indicated to me that I was staring at my friends, there were slight differences in both Shaggy and Velma that caused my suspicion to spike. Shaggy's hair, which was normally, well, shaggy and unkempt, was shaved close to his head, mimicking a militaristic, polished look, and Velma's hair was clipped off her face with two red bows. Only Scooby completely looked like his regular, normal self, but something in these subtle differences between Shaggy and Velma tipped me off to the fact that maybe we hadn't stumbled across our home universe.

Then I noticed that Shaggy, Scooby, and Velma were hovering near a man. He was kneeling before the restaurant window, his palms pressed despairingly against the glass, and he gazed inside longingly, as if he couldn't tear his eyes away from whatever was happening inside. He had a long, snarled and tangled blonde beard that flowed down the entire length of his chest, and two dark, half-moon shaped creases were steeped beneath his eyes. He appeared to be a homeless man; his blonde hair was greasy and obviously hadn't been brushed in days, his white shirt was matted with dirt and sweat, his sleeves were ripped, tattered and torn into a bunch of tiny slits, and his blue jeans had a huge, gaping hole at the right knee, exposing the sickly, white flesh of his leg.

And when I saw the orange ascot that hung loosely around the man's scruffy beard, the pavement beneath my feet wavered, and my throat tightened, leaving me breathless and gasping for air.

I heard Daphne draw in a deep breath beside me. "Okay," she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "What is going on here?"

I shook my head and moved my mouth to speak, but no words tumbled out: I was speechless.

Daphne grasped my arm and was pulling me across the street before I could register what was happening or try to stop her. She guided me behind a street lamp a few feet away. "Let's watch what happens!" she whispered urgently.

Just as we ducked behind the street lamp, the door to the restaurant swung open, and a tall, tanned, attractive young man with rich, coal colored hair and sharply defined abs walked out. He was clearly wealthy; his clothing was crisp, and he wore a bright, royal blue polo. A young girl was hanging off his arm, laughing and smiling as he spoke. Even though this world was starting to look more and more unrecognizable by the second, the red hair and the purple dress and the green ascot and the light, twinkly laughter would have made my heart stutter and my breath hitch in my breath no matter what universe I was in. My hand flew over my mouth in an attempt to muffle my gasp, and the roof of my mouth was coated in a sharp, metallic taste: I was seriously worried that I was going to puke all over the sidewalk.

The attractive man and Daphne paused and turned to stare down at this damaged and dilapidated man, some hollowed out, shattered, grotesque version of myself. I watched myself gawk at Daphne and her date, and the other version of myself had tears welling up in his eyes. Upon seeing the multiverse Fred, the other Daphne's pink painted lips turned downwards, and she clucked her tongue and tutted with pity, and she turned to face the beaming man, who gazed at her with a look that made my stomach churn.

"Oh Baylor, look, a hobo!" the multiverse Daphne cried. "We've never had one in Crystal Cove before. We should give him change or hard candy or something!"

"Good idea, babe!" her date bellowed. "I think I have an extra bag of whey protein on me!"

I could only watch, my chest heavy, as Daphne's date dropped a snack sized bag into the crestfallen Fred's outstretched palm, who said nothing as Daphne and her date sauntered coolly and casually to a silver, sporty vehicle parked nearby. Her date opened the door, and Daphne slipped into the passenger seat. Even though there was a logical part of me that knew this wasn't my Daphne, I felt myself stagger back, flinching as if I had been punched: some guy was driving her around in some flashy car and holding the door for her and smiling at her as if she was all he could see, and that was supposed to be my job. I was the one who was supposed to stand beside her, holding her hand and making sure she felt safe and grabbing the door for her and making her laugh: it should have been _me._

My Daphne stepped beside me, draping her arm around my shoulders and pulling me close. "Maybe we should leave," she whispered.

I knew she was right, but yet, my feet were glued to the ground, and I couldn't tear my eyes away from the scene unfolding before us. I heard the multiverse Daphne sigh, and she cooed, "Ohhhh, Baylor! You're everything I never knew I wanted. And to think my whole life used to revolve around _mystery solving_!" she spat out "mystery solving" as if the words left a bitter, disgusting taste in her mouth, then smiled, and added with a laugh, "What a waste, huh?"

Her date said nothing, only smiled, revealing his spotless, beaming white teeth, and let himself into the driver's seat of the car. A second later, they peeled off, the car screeching out of the parking lot and barreling down the street, moving faster than the limit posted on the road, and I felt the fury bubble inside me as I watched, aghast, and I thought, "What if he kills her by speeding that fast?! I would _never _put her life in danger like that!" The multiverse Fred only stared at the car, unmoving and still kneeling on the ground, his face frozen with disbelief and despair. His lips moved, trying and failing to form a thought, before he finally managed to stammer, "She – she didn't even recognize me."

My throat ached with grief and tears began to fill my eyes. Beside me, my Daphne squeezed my arm, and she began to rub her hand in circles on my back. "Okay, we should seriously be leaving now," she murmured. "Freddy? Are you okay?"

I didn't respond; instead, I continued to watch as Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby moved towards the multiverse Fred, their faces creased with worry. "I'm sorry, Fred," Velma spoke softly. "You broke her heart: she moved on."

"Without _me_," the multiverse Fred sputtered. His voice was trembling and wobbly, and his words were hardly audible.

In that instant, my mind spun and whirled, and I flashed back to all the seconds and moments Daphne and I had spent together. I remembered the first time I kissed her, in the middle of an abandoned house during our most dangerous and horrifying mystery, and the way she had tasted sweet, like sugar and whipped cream. I remembered every conversation we had on our drive home from school, every moment she reached for me and clung to my side when she was scared during a mystery, every laugh and joke and every smile that she flashed in my direction, and every warm embrace that made me feel safe and secure and loved. Every memory flipped through my mind like a black and white home movie reel, and my heart twisted behind my ribcage and my hands were shaking. Even though my Daphne was still right here, right beside me, seeing just this one world that erased and invalidated all of these memories that I held so close to me felt deflating; surely, there was nothing in the world worse than watching one of your worst fears play out like a scene from a tragedy on a stage.

Without thinking, I pulled away from Daphne's arms and began to rush towards the multiverse version of the gang. Behind me, I could hear Daphne's shoes smacking the pavement as she struggled to keep up with me, and her voice was strained as she plead with me to stop and wait, but her words sounded distant and far.

When I was standing before the gang I stopped, panting for air, and stared at them, my eyes wet with tears. Daphne finally caught up to me and stood next to me, hesitant, and she stared at the gang beside me. Four forlorn faces snapped up to stare at us, and at the same exact moment, their eyes widened to the size of golf balls, and their mouths dropped.

"I – I don't believe this," the multiverse Velma uttered. "What is going on?! Who are you two? How is this happening right now?"

"Never mind that," I snapped, attempting to still my trembling hands and legs and voice. I coughed, hoping it would calm my nerves, and finally, I spoke, my eyes trained on the multiverse Fred as I said, "What I need to know is this: what happened to you and Daphne? Why aren't you guys together, and why did Velma just say that you broke her heart?"

The multiverse Fred's face crumpled even more, which I didn't think was possible considering he was already disheveled and torn, and his eyes drifted to the ground, as though he couldn't meet my gaze. In that instant, I couldn't help but hate him; I hated his messy, tousled appearance, I hated the way he was just watching Daphne walk away from him, but worst of all, I hated that the reason I despised him was because he _terrified_ me. Subconsciously, there was always this flicker of fear bubbling deep inside of me that whispered and taunted that I was never good enough for her, and now that this fear stood dirtied and greasy and bleary-eyed before me, I had no choice but to look him in the eyes and shudder; at the very least, if this Fred was forcing me to pay witness to all of this, I was going to demand an answer, and maybe, just maybe, I could learn from his mistake, and keep Daphne beside me if I were to ever find myself in this situation someday.

The multiverse Fred opened his mouth to speak, but a deep, guttural laugh caused everyone's heads to whip around to face a gigantic, rounded man. He was tall and wide, standing around seven feet tall, and he was shaped like a boulder. His thighs and arms were as thick as tree trunks, but despite his matured appearance, he was swaddled in an oversized diaper, which was clasped together with a pink clip, and he wore a bib with a frown face around his neck, and a pink bonnet was tied around his head. His skin was an unnatural, pale, pinky shade, and two teeth jutted out of his lips. He narrowed his black, beady eyes at us and laughed again.

"Awwww, waaahh waaaah!" The man wailed. His voice had a deep, bass undertone to it; his infantile impersonation certainly didn't match his appearance. Instinctively, I reached for Daphne, who was already clinging to my arm, and I wrapped my arms around her: we were both shaking and trembling with fear. The multiverse gang shrank back from the figure as the man screamed again, "Poor Freddy had to watch his girlfriend going on a date with another guy! That makes me feel reallllyyy sad!"

"What – what – what is that?!" My Daphne stammered.

"Like, ZOINKS!" The multiverse Shaggy cried. "It's the Crybaby Clown!"

"Crybaby _what_?!" I echoed, wrinkling my nose at the name.

"Waaaahhhh waaahhhhh!" The ghost intoned again. "You don't know my name?! That makes Crybaby Clown even more _sad_. Here, have a bottle: maybe you will feel better after you've eaten!"

Crybaby Clown reached for a bottle clipped to the side of his diaper and aimed it at us. The bottle rolled towards us and exploded, like a grenade, causing the ground to rattle and quiver. I felt myself driven into the ground like a stake, and the explosion cleaved Daphne from my side. A second later, a green, milky fog expanded around us, causing everyone to cough and gasp for air.

I felt the panic swell within my chest as I looked around for Daphne, but the smoke was impenetrable. My heart rate doubled when I heard her screaming from somewhere within the fog.

"Daphne!" I yelled. "Where are you?"

Crybaby Clown's laughter sliced through the fog, and as he bellowed, I heard the rest of the gang shrieking with terror. I gritted my teeth and starting crawling on the ground, hoping to bump into Daphne, when suddenly Crybaby Clown was towering before me. As he leaned down to stare me in the eyes, I gulped, and my heart began to gallop in my chest.

"Waaahhh waaaahhh!" Crybaby Clown wailed. "I just wanted to play with you, Fred Jones, but you made me cry! Well guess what – it's over for you now, buddy!"


	11. Chapter 11

**Author Note: Hey everyone, it's been awhile! Between finishing up my last week at a seasonal job and some small writer's block, I am finally back! Here is my latest update. I am hoping to have the next chapter uploaded much sooner this time around since I have a lot more free time on my hands, and also because I finally pushed through some minor writer's block. I hope you are all doing well, and as always, I appreciate any feedback and reviews! Enjoy! - iamacliche**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

Crybaby Clown lurched towards me with his brawny, oversized arms, and when he was inches away from my face I rolled out of his grasp, narrowly avoiding him so that he was swiping at nothing but the green fog that still billowed around us. Undeterred, he surged towards me again, but this time I was ready for him; I popped up onto my feet and smashed my fist into his face, connecting with his nose. Instantly, Crybaby Clown reeled away from me, screeching and groaning in agony. He grabbed at his nose, which had begun gushing torrents of hot red blood.

"Waaaah waaaaah!" Crybaby Clown cried. "You hurt Crybaby Clown! I'm going to make you pay for this later!"

As I hoped, Crybaby Clown spun on his feet and began running away, causing the ground to tremble as he ran. Since the smoke was still thick, he was quickly swallowed up by the fog, so I was unable to pursue him since I wasn't sure of the direction he was running towards. A minute later, the only sound I could hear was coughing from random members of the gang, and Daphne calling out my name, her voice strained with panic and worry.

"Daphne! I'm over here!" I cried out, yelling in the direction from where I thought I had heard her voice wafting towards me. Luckily, after Crybaby Clown had disappeared, the smoke had slowly begun to dissipate, and I began to see streaks of green from the trees and the grey pavement beneath my feet through the hazy smog. A few moments later the fog faded even more, and I could clearly see Daphne rushing towards me, her face pale and creased with worry. I stepped towards her so I was meeting her halfway, and when she threw her arms around my neck I kissed her on the lips and enfolded her in my arms, pulling her close against me. She buried her face in my neck and sighed.

"Are you okay?" I asked after we stood there like that for a moment, holding each other. She nodded, silent, but then we both flinched and pulled apart from each other when we heard someone cough nervously from behind us. We both turned and faced the multiverse Mystery Incorporated, who were shifting on their feet anxiously, their faces timid as they watched us uneasily.

Seeing the gang standing before us wrenched me back into this moment, and I flashed back to all the moments that lead up to Crybaby Clown's attack. I narrowed my eyes at the multiverse Fred, who still made my stomach churn with his long, greasy beard, and his tousled blonde hair, and again, I wanted to scream at him for losing Daphne and for being so vulnerable and disheveled and for allowing the gang to be in danger with this Crybaby Clown freak. I wanted to shriek at him until my vocal cords were hoarse and my throat felt raw, and I knew that the contempt I felt for him was so palpable that it was rolling off my body in waves, but I couldn't help myself.

The multiverse Fred must have intrinsically sensed this, because he held up his hands, as if he was being accused of a crime he didn't commit, and he looked at me with an inexplicable gaze in his blue eyes. "I know what you're thinking," the multiverse Fred began. "Don't worry- I think I would hate me if I were you, too."

The multiverse Velma interrupted before I could even formulate a response by exclaiming, "Never mind all that right now, Fred. WHAT is going on around here?! I know you two look exactly like Fred and Daphne, but how are we supposed to know this isn't some elaborate joke, or that you aren't two villains in a mask? We've seen a lot of weird stuff during our mysteries over the years, and up until this point, I thought nothing would shock me, but now I'm not sure what to think!"

Daphne cleared her throat and looked to the gang. "It's a long story, and there's a lot to explain," she said. "But all you need to know is that we are Fred and Daphne, just not the same friends you guys know and love. We're from another world, and we're stuck in a sort of limbo, trying to find our way home through all these other universes. We came across your world just a bit ago, and we thought we would check it out and see if it would somehow take us back to where we're from, but clearly we were mistaken in thinking this would lead us anywhere."

Velma gasped. "Did you say that you're from another world? Are you, by chance, alluding to the concept of Schrodinger's Cat?"

I blinked, astonished at Velma's brilliance, before I realized that apparently Velma would always be poignant and perceptive, no matter which parallel universe we visited. "Yeah," Daphne said. "How did you know?"

"I am extremely familiar with the experiment, and its belief that there are an infinite array of parallel worlds that branch off from a multitude of moments to formulate varying timelines," Velma replied. "So if you two are from another world, as you just explained, then this must naturally imply that your reality differs greatly from our world, and that is why you were so shocked to see Crybaby Clown. And judging by the way you two are behaving as a couple, I would venture to say that you must be dating, and that would also account for your Fred's reaction to our Freddy and Daphne's broken relationship."

Daphne and I were silent, uncertain of how to respond, and I looked down at the ground, focusing on a crack in the pavement between my feet; again, I was stunned by Velma's keen analysis, and I was speechless, struggling to string together a cohesive sentence that would effectively convey how I was feeling at that exact moment.

"It's true," Daphne finally confirmed with a sigh. "Everything you just said is true; Freddy and I are both struggling to come to terms with not only this jarring world, but everything we just saw. I guess there was some part of us that was worried we would stumble upon a world where we aren't dating, and now that we've found it, we aren't sure what to think."

As Daphne spoke, my anger towards the multiverse Fred festered, intensified by her testimony to the fact that we are both unsettled by this world where we aren't dating. Fear and grief enveloped me and gnawed at my heart like an illness as my mind replayed the memory of Daphne walking away from the multiverse Fred. What my Daphne neglected to mention was the fact that _she _was the one who was dating someone else here; I was just a bum in this world, and Daphne breezed right by me and stared at me as if I were nothing more than the gum beneath the soles of her shoes. "She called me a _hobo, _of all things!" I bewailed to myself. She looked down at me as though I were a stranger who meant nothing to her, as though she had never known my lips on her lips or felt the voltage from my skin against hers when we laid entwined together or shuddered when I whispered that I loved her; how was I supposed to continue living knowing that this alternate version of our lives existed where Daphne could just reject all this and walk away, as if all of that meant nothing to her?

Pure emotion blinded me and propelled me to step towards the multiverse Fred, who looked dejected as he sat on the ground, scrutinizing the sidewalk as though he had misplaced something and was hoping to see it materialize before him again. "And _you_ still never answered me!" I said, my voice betraying my anger by wobbling. "Now, tell me – what happened between you and Daphne in this world? Why would you ever just watch her walk away? I don't know what's going on between you two in this world, but _I _would never just watch the love of my life walk away from me without doing something to tell her how much she means to me!"

The multiverse Fred opened his mouth to speak, but he paused, and he said nothing. Finally, in a voice hardly above a whisper, he said, "You're right – I guess I really did screw up. It's a long story, but I broke her heart when I called off our engagement a while ago. And now I guess she's moving on without me…"

As his voice trailed off, Daphne and I turned to each other, dumbfounded. "Hold on a minute!" Daphne cried. "Did you say that you two were _engaged_?!"

Multiverse Fred sighed. "Yeah – _were _engaged being the key word here. We aren't anymore, clearly." Then he set his mouth in a firm, tight line, and he looked at us both with a glimmer in his eyes. "I have to win her back somehow! You two appear to be perfectly happy, and it's just making me crave what we once had even more. I just know that if I talk to her, she'll come back to me!"

The multiverse Velma stepped forward and laid a hand on multiverse Fred's shoulder. "I'm not so sure about that, Fred," Velma said gently. "She has made it clear that you broke her heart, and she's moved on. And we have to get to the bottom of this mystery, with or without her: Crybaby Clown must be stopped!"

A terse, uncomfortable silence followed, but a few seconds later Daphne stepped towards the multiverse Fred and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Listen to me," she said steadily. "I still don't understand the whole story, but if your Daphne is anything like me at all, I think you should prove just how much you mean to her. Back in my universe, Freddie means everything to me, and I can imagine that if your Daphne agreed to marry you, then you mean everything to her, too. She might be upset now, but if you give her a few days and then speak to her, I just know she'll reconsider!"

Watching my Daphne comfort another version of myself felt oddly conflicting; on one hand, even though this guy was technically me, seeing her reassure and comfort another guy caused me to feel a pang of jealousy. On the other hand, she was also speaking to an extension of myself, and that man was clearly battered and bruised, and it was reassuring to hear her say that in spite of this unkempt Fred's appearance and actions, Daphne still had faith in me/him. Slowly, the rage that crackled and blazed behind my ribcage and pulsated through my veins cooled, and I stepped forward to offer my hand towards the multiverse Fred, who was still sitting on the pavement. His face slowly cracked into a grin, and when he gripped my hand firmly in his, I pulled him to his feet.

"Daphne is right," I finally admitted softly. "If you love her as much as you say you do, I think you need to go after her and tell her how you feel. I'm sorry that I treated you a bit harshly and judged you. I guess there is some part of me that has always worried that Daphne will leave me for some other guy, and it just horrified me to see it playing out in real life, so I took it out on you."

Daphne gave me a soft smile, and she slid her arm around my back and kissed me lightly on the cheek, and I couldn't help but blush. Multiverse Shaggy and Scooby grinned, and Fred smiled at Daphne and me.

"Thanks, guys," he said. "I'm not so sure if she will listen to me after everything, but if what you say is true, then I'm going to try! I just hope it isn't too late. And I'm sorry that you had two had to see all of that happen."

"It isn't your fault," I said. "I insisted on checking out what was going on in this world, just as I did in the last one. The last one nearly got us killed by a horrific blizzard, and now this one was emotionally damaging. I just wish we knew some way of trying to sift through all these different parallel universes! Every time we enter the box that acts as a portal to another reality, there are millions of doors to choose from, and we have no way of knowing what's on the other side. It's terrifying!"

"Actually, there is something that has been needling at the back of my brain since you two mentioned that this was one of your worst fears," the multiverse Velma said. "You said that you and Daphne are filtering through different doors that act as a portal to a new universe, correct? Well, what if you and Daphne are the ones who are defining those various connections?"

Daphne and I exchanged a puzzled look. "I'm not sure that I follow," Daphne admitted.

"Do you know how dreams and nightmares are structured each night when we sleep?" multiverse Velma explained. "Each night, a vivid dream is a construction created from one's own mind, which naturally implies that dreams – and by that extension, nightmares – are blended from one's emotions, as well. In that vein, what if the experience of selecting a door in the multiverse that you are describing is like dream-building, and you are both subliminally responsible for choosing the worlds in which you stumble upon as a result of your own emotions and thoughts?"

I was struggling to completely comprehend what Velma was saying to us. "So are you saying that out of an infinite amount of realities, I – or we – intentionally picked _this_ hellhole?! No offense, man," I added, nodding towards multiverse Fred.

Multiverse Fred waved his hand and grinned. "Nah man, no offense taken!"

"Perhaps you did not choose this world intentionally," multiverse Velma responded. "But I would venture to argue that perhaps this was a reflection of what you were feeling at the moment you opened the door. For instance, what were you thinking before you opened the door to the other world, the one that you said nearly killed you?"

Daphne crinkled her nose together as she struggled to remember. "Well, I was the one who opened the door to the other world," she said. "And it was a world where Coolsville was frozen over and had been snowed in because of Jack Frost, and – " suddenly her voice trailed off, and her eyes widened. She looked at me, her jaw dropping. "Freddy, I think Velma is right! Do you remember what I was saying just before I opened the door to that world? I was explaining how the walking through the multiverse made me feel like we were driving in a blizzard!"

I felt the spine-tingling rush of a revelation sweeping over me, and a chill slithered down my spine. "You're right!" I exclaimed. "And do you remember what you said as we were opening the other two doors just before that, and we saw the zombies attacking downtown Coolsville, and a wolf tried to attack me? You were saying that you were afraid we would find a world that was going to kill us, and I was really terrified of that, too! And even moments before we opened a door to this world, we were just saying that we didn't want to see a world where either of us was dating someone else, and we just watched that exact scenario play out!"

Daphne shook her head as she processed everything. "This whole time, we've felt powerless and overwhelmed as to which direction we could move in as we worked our way home, but _we've _been the controls this entire time!"

I beamed at her and turned to the rest of the multiverse gang, who were grinning as they watched us excitedly speak. "Do you know what this means, Daphne? It means that we have the ability to go wherever we want – including home!"

* * *

"Fred, Daphne: Are we happy?"

Daphne and I both flinched; the multiverse gang was walking us back to the box, which was waiting for us on the edge of Crystal Cove, and we had been ensconced in a comfortable silence when Velma jolted us back into the moment with her eerie, familiar, déjà vu question. I shivered; the fact that a multiverse Velma was once again posing this same question was uncanny, only this time, she was another version of our close friend, living in another reality, one that differed greatly from the world in which the other multiverse Velma had uttered the same question.

"Ya know, it's funny," Daphne replied with a chuckle. "Not that your question is funny, Velma, but the fact that in another reality far from this one, another Velma asked us the very same question. We've only gone through a few different worlds, but in that short time span, I am starting to learn that no matter which version of the gang or ourselves that we visit, everyone is grappling with that central question of whether or not we are happy. I guess that's part of the reason why you created the box that allows people to explore the multiverse in the first place, Velma."

Velma rose her eyebrows in response to Daphne's statement. "Are you insinuating that _I _am the reason you two are trapped in limbo?!" she asked, flabbergasted. "And that your version of myself was the one who brought Schrodinger's Cat to life?! But why would I ever do such a thing?"

"You truly had the best intentions," I explained. "When you presented your invention, you told everyone that you wanted to learn from other timelines, and use it to make our world even better."

Velma slowly shook her head, bewildered. "How could I have not foreseen that something like this could happen though?" she asked. "It just seems so obvious!"

By now, we had reached the box, which stood before us gloomily. Multiverse Shaggy and Scooby gulped, and stepped away carefully, as if the box could swallow them whole if they stood too close. The multiverse Velma stared up at the box in awe. "I don't believe this," she said, with astonishment dripping in her voice. "I never thought that anything of this scale would actually be possible; I have to admit that this is really neat, even if it did cause you two some trouble," she said with a grin. "Fred, Daphne – I truly hope you two find your way back home! I hope we never see you two again, in the best possible way, of course, but if we do, maybe you could consider staying here with us."

Daphne enveloped Velma in a hug. "We would love to, Velma, but we have our own friends and family to find. Thank you for the tip, and for all your help! Are you sure that you guys don't want us to stay and help you stop Crybaby Clown? We could stick around and help you for a little while!"

Multiverse Velma shook her head. "You two should leave and head home as soon as possible now that you know how to control that box! I'm sure that as soon as you step in and think of your home, you'll walk through that correct door in no time!"

Daphne and Velma hugged again, and the multiverse Shaggy and Scooby stepped forward, lumping themselves into Daphne and Velma's embrace. Multiverse Fred and I eyed each other awkwardly, still unsure of where exactly we stood. Finally, multiverse Fred stepped forward, offering his hand. I grinned, and I surprised him by taking him into my arms for a hug, and he clapped me on the back eagerly. Hugging your doppelgänger is an odd, surreal experience. It was unlike hugging Daphne or anyone else in the gang, obviously, but it wasn't like hugging a stranger, either, so it was still intimate, even though this version of myself wasn't extremely similar to me. And although multiverse Fred smelled skunky and his beard scratched my cheeks, it still felt like I was comforting myself, which made me feel oddly peaceful.

When we pulled away from the hug, I smiled at multiverse Fred. "Don't forget to chase Daphne and tell her how you feel," I said. "I just know that you can win her back! Daph, are you ready to go?"

Daphne pulled away from the multiverse gang and nodded, and she took her hand in mine as we stepped into the box. We turned back once more to wave at the multiverse gang behind us, and Fred stepped forward and cried, "Wait – you guys never answered Velma's question! Are we happy back in your world?"

Daphne and I paused as we stood in the threshold of the door to the box, and in an instant, guilt seized me and clutched me in a chokehold that was so overwhelming that I had to pause and think before I answered. I reflected back on how I was so worried about the gang leaving me behind for their college pursuits just before Daphne and I were abducted, and I felt a wave of remorse wash over me when I recalled hoping that Velma's new invention could show me how to be happier. A chilling, spine-tingling thought formed in the back of my mind, and it squeezed at my throat and my heart so that my breathing and pulse stuttered: what if this was all my fault? What if Daphne and I were trapped because I wasn't happy enough to appreciate what I had back home?

If the multiverse gang noticed my trepidation or hesitation, they didn't show it. Daphne, however, looked to me to see if I would respond, and when I didn't, she turned to them and smiled, and giving my hand a squeeze, she replied, quietly but confidently, "Yes, Fred: yes, we are all happy back home." And we waved once more and stepped into the box, and as the door clunked shut behind us, I wordlessly and quickly pulled a vial of the green liquid out of my backpack, and as I felt the drug warming my throat, my head swam and my stomach churned as Daphne's words echoed in my mind: "We are _all_ happy back home."

But were we all _truly_ happy back home? If that was the case, then how did I manage to get us trapped here? And why did Velma create an invention that would allow anyone to visit any point in the multiverse if she weren't the least bit curious about the answer to this question, too?

* * *

Daphne and I were walking down the dark, familiar corridor a few minutes later. As I listened to our footfalls echoing into infinity, a chill ran down my spine: It felt as though we had never truly left this hallway, this in-between sort of purgatory, and even though we now knew how we could drive this box, it still felt like I was a small pebble on large, expansive beach.

"We better take a few minutes to clear our minds before we choose a door to open," Daphne said. "You heard the multiverse Velma; if we walk through another door with any sort of emotional baggage, then we'll end up in another reality that's like the previous two we just saw. I'm just worried because between the two of us, there's a good chance that someone will project something terrifying and frightening each time we open a door."

I knew that Daphne's remark was no slight against me, but for some reason her comment pricked at me, and I felt myself growing defensive. "Are you implying that I was the reason we witnessed that last world?" I asked her, my voice rising. "I'm pretty sure that it was both of us discussing it just before the door opened, ya know!"

Daphne stopped walking and turned to face me, her eyes wide with surprise, and I felt myself recoil with surprise, too. Since we first started dating a few months ago, Daphne and I had yet to have a single argument; sure, we disagreed over certain things here and there, but neither of us rose our voice at each other, and we always settled a disagreement quickly, and without conflict. But now I was sensing an uneasy tension growing between us, sparking and cracking in the atmosphere around us like lightning.

"Freddy, please don't say that," Daphne replied, wounded. "I never said that you were the reason we stumbled upon that last world, but Velma was right: we were just talking about the fear of seeing us date other people moments before we opened a door. We have to keep our emotions in check right now."

"I know we both said that, but admit it, Daphne: seeing yourself hanging off some hot guy's arm wasn't so hard to stomach, especially since I wasn't dating anyone: I was just some dirtied loser you scorned at," I shot back. "You looked at me like I was the dirt beneath your shoe! You called me a _hobo_ for crying out loud!"

Daphne laughed, sarcastic and bitter, and my stomach churned, and I wanted nothing more than to reach out and pause this moment and pull her into my arms, to put a stop to all of this before things unfurled even more and one of us said something we would regret, but I couldn't help myself; even though the last world wasn't an accurate portrayal of us as a couple nor us as individuals, I couldn't shove away the notion that if something similar happened to me and Daphne, she too would leave me crumpled and broken on the sidewalk while she allowed herself to be guided by some hot actor as he tugged her into his flashy new car. That, and I was still fighting a losing battle with the voice in my head that chanted that it was all my fault that we were in limbo, that I wouldn't have endangered myself and the love of my life if I had only appreciated what my home world had to offer me.

"Okay Freddy, _please_ tell me that you did not just insinuate that the multiverse Daphne we watched is an accurate reflection of how I would react!" Daphne shrilled, her laugh still biting and cynical. I felt my heart clench, knowing that she only laughed like that when she was feeling truly hurt, and I hated myself for being the cause of the pain, but there was also a small part of me that wanted her to hurt as badly as I had hurt when she walked away from me in the previous world. "Come on, now – you _know_ there is the possibility of seeing some messed up shit in all of these worlds! That doesn't necessarily mean that it's a prophecy intended to come true, ya know!"

I opened my mouth, ready to retort, but not quite sure what I was going to say in response, when Daphne suddenly paled as she glanced down the hallway, and she rushed to my side and clutched my arm tightly.

My blood ran cold. "What's wrong? What do you hear?" I asked. Even though we were in the midst of fighting, I instinctively reached for her, instantly prepared to protect her from whatever had frightened her.

"Listen!"

For a few moments, it was so quiet that I could hear the escalated beating of my heart. And then I heard a faint sound echoing far, far down the corridor.

Daphne looked at me, her face ashen with fear, and whispered, "What the hell?"

I aimed my flashlight down the hallway and stared into the darkness, narrowing my eyes in an effort to sharpen my focus, but I only saw the light from the flashlight refracting off the repeating walls.

And then, all at once, the sound was louder, and I could clearly decipher the sound of footsteps.

Daphne gasped. "Someone's coming towards us!"

"How is that possible?!" I shrieked, shielding Daphne with my arms so that I could protect her from who – or what – was approaching. "We're the only ones trapped in here!"

Movement edged into the periphery of the light, and a human shaped figure slowly loped towards us. I moved closer to Daphne, reaching for my back pocket, where I usually kept a pocket knife to protect us, in case of emergencies. "Be prepared to run," I instructed Daphne quietly.

She squeezed my arm so hard I thought she would tear it off. "But where are we going to run?!" she asked frantically. "We only have this hallway and all of these doors! We're essentially trapped!"

A second after Daphne said this, the human shaped figure stepped even closer towards us. His skin was covered in what appeared to be dirt of mud, but when I looked closer I saw that it was neither, and I shuddered.

It was blood: he reeked of the metallic, sharp blood. Flecks of blood were caked onto his skin, as though he rolled around in a pool of blood. His hair was matted, and his face was encrusted with so much dried, older blood that it made the whites of his eyes pop out. His hands were trembling and his fingers curled in tightly, like they had been clawing desperately at something.

He was so unrecognizable that it took until he was about six feet away from us before I realized that the man was _me._


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! Wow, would you look at that - I'm back! I'm going to be honest and admit that I seriously considered abandoning this story. It felt like the traffic was dwindling on this particular work, I was feeling discouraged, and I've just had a lot going on in my personal life. Well, over the past few days, I've been reading some awesome fanfiction on here, and it really made me miss writing my own work. I did have about 2,000 words of this chapter saved on my laptop for the past few weeks, but I didn't truly feel motivated to continue with it until today. Well, I sat down to see what I could squeeze out of my most recent ambition, and I felt such a rush returning to this story and writing this chapter. I can't promise that I will update as frequently as I would like since I have a lot going on right now, but I do want to finish this story, so I hope that anyone who was following this and hoping for updates is patient with me, and hopefully, the rest of this will finish out over the next few weeks or months.

Okay, now that the pity party is over, a few notes on this chapter:

\- This is probably the darkest chapter out of everything I've written thus far, but to be honest, I'm proud of it, especially the stream of consciousness moment exhibited by Fred towards the conclusion. I really hope you enjoy this darker take, but do keep in mind this has a T/M rating now going forward for this reason alone. Also, the cussing was a bit intensified here, but I think it was fair, and an accurate depiction of how real, authentic people would react in a dark situation.  
\- At one point Fred and Daphne are driving a white 1998 Ford Contour, and that is definitely an allusion to the first car I ever owned, which was also a white Ford Contour. It felt neat sneaking in a bit of personal detail.  
\- Finally, this chapter is also my longest to date, so I hope that doesn't discourage anyone from reading. I tried to keep it action packed, and I hope you can look at it as my apology for being away for so long, and making up for lost time.

And that's about it! If you read all that, thank you, you're awesome. If you would be so kind as to leave a review, I would seriously appreciate it, especially since it's a good motivation for writing more! I hope to have the next chapter uploaded sometime within the next two weeks.

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**Chapter 12**

Daphne and I stepped out of the other Fred's way, backing up so that we were pressed against the nearest wall to give him the widest possible path. I attempted to swallow the fist-sized lump that had developed in my throat, but felt myself gag at the effort. As the other Fred staggered past me, I noticed that his eyes were dulled, and I wasn't even sure if he noticed us standing near him. He looked shell-shocked, like a hollowed out version of his former self, and now I understood the phrase, "I've been through hell and back again," because here was the living and breathing embodiment of that phrase, huffing and puffing and swaying right before our eyes.

Daphne shuddered, repulsed as he passed us, and I noticed chunks of flesh torn across his back and shoulders. She contorted herself so that she was concealed behind my back, and asked in a quiet, quivering voice, "Wh-wh-wh what is wrong with him? How is this even possible right now?!"

I shook my head, speechless for a response to her question. "Boy, if I thought the last version of myself was bad, this one is even _worse_!" I thought to myself.

The other Fred stopped and stared at us, as if just now realizing we were standing there. Daphne shrank even further behind me, and in a faltering voice, I asked, "What the hell _happened_ to you?"

He paused, as if deciding how to respond, and then he threw his head back and made the most terrifying sound I had ever heard; it was the kind of primitive, ear-curdling scream that wild animals emit just before they're eaten or killed: the same type of inhumane, pained howl that caused the throat to scare and bleed. I clamped my hands over my ears to block it out of my mind, and as his shrieks reverberated throughout the hallway, Daphne grabbed my arm and pulled me away. My hand was trembling so badly that I dropped the flashlight and it rolled onto the ground, but we kept running, moving further down the hallway and further into the endless dark, guided only by the flashlight Daphne held in her trembling hands.

I glanced back to see if my doppelgänger was chasing us, but he merely watched us retreating away from him, and he began to shuffle down the opposite way of the corridor. I slowed down, causing Daphne, who was still clutching my arm, to slow down, too. Daphne paused to shoot me an inquisitive gaze, but I pointed in the direction of the other Fred, indicating that we weren't in immediate danger any longer. Wordlessly, she stumbled towards me, and we embraced each other, our hug tinged with sweat and fear, both of us shaking and trembling, and as we began to sway together in tandem a moment later, I wasn't sure who was comforting whom after this most recent scenario.

After a full minute of embracing, I finally detached myself from Daphne, but my arms and legs were still shaking as my mind struggled to process what we had just witnessed. I turned to Daphne, who's face was drained of any color. "Are you okay?" I asked.

She shook her head, incredulous. "I'm okay, Freddy, but I can't believe how much weirder and weirder this whole thing keeps getting as we go on! What was wrong with that version of you? Where did he come from? I thought we were the only two people who had any access to this hallway!"

When I had first witnessed the other version of myself, a bone-chilling, spine-tingling thought had taken root and blossomed in my mind, and now it seemed as though I had no option but to confront it. I turned to Daphne and explained, "I thought we were the only two people who had access to this box and the hallway, too. But I've been thinking, Daph; if we _are_ the only two people who have access to the multiverse, and this box is constantly creating new and alternate timelines that branch off from various moments of our lives, then couldn't that imply there are other versions of ourselves that have access to the multiverse, too?"

Daphne's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "I'm not sure I follow, Fred."

"What I mean is that if this box is constantly regurgitating new timelines that stem from different moments in our own lives, then wouldn't that mean the box is developing alternate worlds that are based on our own experiences from moments as recent as a few minutes ago?" I explained. "So for instance, maybe there is a world that exists where you and I didn't make it out of the snow storm, and there is a version of us still trapped in that house as we speak. Or maybe there is a version of myself that didn't dodge that wolf in time, back from when we first started opening the doors. Does any of what I'm saying make sense? What do you think?"

Daphne's eyes widened as she processed what I said. "No, that definitely makes sense! I guess if our lives are constantly split into different realities, then why wouldn't there be different outcomes from our adventure of being kidnapped so far, right? So does this mean that there is a chance we could run into other versions of ourselves from other recent moments in this box?"

"I'm not positive," I admitted. "But based on what we just saw I would definitely say it seems plausible. How else would you explain that other version of me? He definitely looked like he's been through some shit. My guess is that he could be from one of the other universes you and I visited, or he fell into a world that we didn't even visit just by chance."

"Of course!" Daphne said, snapping her fingers. "If the box is constantly creating new worlds stemming from every second of our own timeline, then who's to say there aren't worlds where we chose a different door, and got a different result?"

"Right!" I exclaimed. "Or maybe there is a chance that a version of us did visit the same door that we did, only they faced a different outcome. We were lucky in the blizzard world and in Crystal Cove, but certainly there is a version of us out there that froze to death, or maybe there's a version of us that stayed behind in Crystal Cove to help solve that mystery, or even a version of us that was kidnapped by that Crybaby Clown. Honestly, Daph, from the way Velma described this box, the possibilities are endless."

Daphne's face fell, as though she were literally deflating beneath this new revelation we had formulated. "Freddy, if this box is constantly branching off from different moments of our timeline to create new ones, doesn't that mean this box is constantly growing and expanding its doors? This is beginning to feel more and more hopeless; how are we ever going to sift through all these different worlds?!"

As I listened to Daphne and considered what she said, her words echoed in my mind. Her accumulating panic was contagious, and I felt as though I was losing control of the situation; it felt as though I was driving through a sheet of rain and snow, and I couldn't see the road ahead of me. And between nearly freezing to death and seeing a multiverse Daphne dating some other guy and then meeting not one, but two doppelgängers that were clearly a version of myself at my (their?) lowest, my emotional stability was questionable at this point. Daphne was right; what more awaited us behind all of these doors, or as we had just seen, within the confines of this very hallway? How many other twisted versions of myself could I endure? And why was my bloodied duplicate travelling alone, without his version of Daphne? Were there worlds that existed in which we had somehow been separated from each other?

All of the questions swirling in my mind felt incredibly overwhelming, and I was starting to feel dizzy. This wasn't the first time I had felt this helpless; as the unofficial leader of Mystery Inc., there were so many instances during a past mystery when multiple members of the gang would start to lose their cool, and I would feel persuaded, for just a minute, to join them in anxiety and worry. But a leader doesn't dwell on the impossible; he steps up, and tries to forge a path for the rest of the group to follow, even when that means somehow carving a new road out of nothing. And this moment was one of those times, in spite of how badly I too was beginning to question our capability of finding the correct door and returning home.

I put my arm around Daphne's shoulder in an attempt to reassure her. "Remember what the Crystal Cove version of Velma told us?" I asked. "She said that we have some power in determining our next destination. We just have to make sure our mind and emotions are focused on home, and we'll be there in no time! Now, start thinking of everything you like about our home; as Velma said, it's like dream building, so we have to start thinking about it before the drug wears off."

Daphne nodded, her lips still set in a firm line. We walked down the hallway, moving wordlessly, and passed more and more doors. A minute later, I noticed Daphne massaging her temples.

"Freddy, I think I'm starting to feel the drug wearing off," she said. "My head is pounding like it did the first time the box collapsed into door. We better pick something, quick!"

I nodded, realizing that Daphne was right; I could feel the time slipping between our fingers like sand. I paused at the nearest door and inhaled sharply, already mentally steeling myself for what was behind the door. I tried to relax my muscles and think of happy memories from home, of the smell of fries and grilled, smoky burgers wafting throughout Sherry's Diner, and the Mystery Machine with its soft leather seats and its familiar, colorful design, but the memories were shattered by the image of that other version of me stumbling and bloodied and broken in the hallway. I shook my head, as if I could eradicate that haunting visual from my mind, and reached my hand towards the door knob. As if Daphne could sense my trepidation, she reached out and grasped my wrist before I could even touch the knob.

"Maybe it's best that I open this next one, Freddy; after all, who knows what kind of emotional baggage you'll carry through that door after what we just witnessed!" Daphne said.

I pulled my hand away from the doorknob and faced Daphne. Seeing the gruesome version of myself had pulled me from our argument earlier, but her words triggered that familiar feeling of jealously and hurt and pain; I could feel it scraping at my stomach like a claw. "Are you trying to suggest that I'm too emotionally broken to take us home again?" I asked, guffawing sarcastically. "Don't worry, Daphne – seeing you with that other guy stung, and seeing all these messed up versions of me hasn't been the greatest, but I promise you that I'm not so emotionally shattered that I can't get us home!"

Daphne took a step back from me, reeling as if I had slapped her in the face, and I instantly felt myself recoil. There was a part of me that hated myself for bringing this up again, but I couldn't help it; we had only been through a few doors, but I had already seen too much. I guess there was always some part of me that wondered and worried if Daphne was truly happy with me, and it felt as though it was just a confirmation that she could do way better when I saw her hanging off the arm of the muscular, tanned man in Crystal Cove. I don't know why I should have been so surprised; after all, back in Coolsville, I was drifting, directionless, unsure of where to go after high school, and she had everything going for her. But in all honesty, that was only half of what was eroding at my heart; I was still hiding this dark secret that maybe, just maybe, we were trapped in this multi-faceted purgatory because I had wished for a better life, one that offered me just as much success as the rest of my friends.

Daphne raised her hands in the air, exasperated; the way she had lifted her hands palms-up was reminiscent of someone who was announcing surround and defeat in a war, which I guess was, in a way, an apt metaphor for our current situation. "Okay Freddy, fine," she spat angrily. "You win! I don't know _why _you keep throwing that Crystal Cove world in my face, and I am most certainly not insinuating that you can not get us home! I was just offering to open this door because I would think that anyone would be emotionally shaken after seeing that version of you in the hallway."

I ignored her, but she was right, of course; she was always right. I'm sure anyone would have felt like their nerves were bleeding because they were raw and exposed and blistering against the abrasion of everything that was happening lately, but again, I knew I had to fulfill my duty as a leader, and even though things were a little tense between Daphne and I, I still felt moved to protect her until my heart stopped beating. So that meant that nothing could bother me; I was invincible. I was gliding across choppy waters, untouchable, I was weaving in and out of traffic, unstoppable, I was –

_Careful, Freddy – even Superman has his kryptonite. You wouldn't want Daphne and the rest of the world to find out your weakness and your ultimate fear, would you?_

The words filtered into my brain slowly, like fog, and I immediately shook my head, trying to clear my head. "Why did those thoughts enter my brain, just before I had to open this godforsaken door?!" I chastised myself. "Come on, get it together; this world needs to be perfect, it needs to be home. Your safety, and ultimately Daphne's, is dependent on you!"

In my peripheral vision, I could see doors disintegrating slowly, and the hallway was withering, all of which was accompanied by a loud, slurping noise, like water sloshing out of a hose. My heart shuddered in its chest when I realized that the drug was gradually wearing off for one or both of us, and we were running out of doors, and therefore, options. Daphne turned to me, her eyes wide with panic, and without waiting another second I grasped her wrist and twisted the door knob of the same door I was reaching for just before she had stopped me, and I pulled us both through the threshold as the hallway liquefied behind us.

As the door slammed behind us, Daphne and I both surveyed our surroundings, blinking as we gazed at the sight of Coolsville High School's gym, with its perfectly waxed floors and the bright, florescent lights, and of course, the metal colored box standing behind us ominously. I sighed, relieved, and it felt as though all of the anxiety knotted in my stomach was finally untangled, and my hands and toes tingled with excitement as I realized that out of all the possible worlds, I brought us to this one, and from the looks of things, it was exactly the world I wanted. For a fleeting moment, I couldn't help but wonder if this was what God felt, if it was the same rush of adrenaline that came from having spoken a world into existence. Sure, to a certain extent, this world already existed, but in the midst of the evaporating doors and the crazy, bloodied version of myself, and the unpleasant argument between Daphne and I, I had still managed to connect us to this place, our home.

Daphne stepped forward tentatively, her heels echoing in the school gymnasium, and she blinked again, incredulous. I remembered the last time we were here, and how I had held Daphne's limp body in my arms as two cloaked people threatened me, at gun point, to swallow the green liquid that would forever change my life. I remembered staring up into the cold, unforgiving eyes of the man, and I shuddered to think that I had actually been staring directly into my own eyes the entire time.

"Well?" Daphne asked, leaving the question unfinished, but knowing full well that I would understand the implication. I finally allowed myself a smile as I turned to her, and answered,

"I think I did it! This is the last place we saw before waking up in the multiverse Coolsville. Let's go home and find those two creeps who did this to us!"

Daphne frowned, ever so slightly, as she continued gazing around the gymnasium. "I don't know, Fred. Call it woman's intuition, but I feel like something is off, here. You're right – this is the last place those creeps took us, but what if this still isn't our world?"

I chortled, feeling irritated that we were finally, finally home, but yet Daphne was choosing to be skeptical. "OF COURSE this is our world!" I exclaimed. "It makes perfect sense; every other time we entered the wrong world, the box landed us somewhere else in Coolsville, or in a different place altogether. This has to be our home! Come on, let's leave the school so we can find Shag and Velma and our parents!"

Without waiting for Daphne's response, I started making my way towards the exit, and I could sense her following me. Moving quickly, I made my way through the school, marveling at the way the hallway was structured so that it was reflective of the school I remembered. The walls were plastered with similar posters that advertised meetings for the National Honor Society and study groups, and there was the occasional bit of graffiti, etched in pen and written in a sloppy manner.

We burst through the doors of the school, and instantly the sun enveloped us in warmth and light. Everything felt peaceful; the only sound was the lonely cry of a bird flying overhead nearby, and the parking lot was completely empty of any people or cars. I smiled, interpreting the sunshine as a positive sign, and turned to Daphne, but her mouth was still twisted in a frown.

"School must have ended for the day," I said, glancing at Daphne to see if she was persuaded yet. "I know it was evening when we were abducted, but obviously some time has passed since then, so maybe it's been about, what, two days? But so far, this world checks out as our home! We have to keep moving!"

We continued moving through the parking lot and began walking on the sidewalk, which guided us onto the main roads of Coolsville. As we walked, Daphne stole an occasional glance in my direction, and slowly, I could feel the smile dissipating from my face when I realized something.

The silence, which felt so peaceful and promising in the school parking lot, was now deafeningly and paradoxically loud. Despite the fact that it was the middle of the day, there were no cars on the road, and there were no people milling about on the streets nor walking; it was only me and Daphne as far as I could see. Daphne reached for my hand and squeezed it, and I saw her point silently to the streets, which were covered with trash. As we retreated further from the school, the roads became filthier and filthier: huge piles of garbage bags spilled over on the pavement, pouring food wrappers and other odds and ends onto the streets.

I held my breath, not wanting to say a word, hoping that we would find some answers as we entered Downtown Coolsville. But as we walked through the streets, my palms began to sweat, and I could feel my heart racing in my chest. Again, despite the fact that it was the middle of the day, the streets of downtown were completely deserted, and the only sign of a car was a pale blue Ford Escape that was smoking on the side of the road. Every business appeared shuttered for good, which was evident from the boarded up windows and doors.

"Freddy, what's happened here?" Daphne breathed. "My intuition is seriously telling me that this isn't our world!"

"We don't know that!" I hissed, as if someone was listening to us. "Again, we landed in the school gym, which was where we were abducted. We have to stick around and find out what's happened; if this is our Coolsville, then clearly something has happened and everyone needs our help!"

"But how are we ever going to help Coolsville if we don't figure out what's going on first?!" Daphne asked. "We need to find Velma and Shaggy and Scooby, but Downtown Coolsville isn't a close walk to anyone's house!"

"Then we need to find a way to get there quickly," I said, my eyes scanning the streets for a bike. We raced through downtown, passing more buildings that stood silently and ominously, and I paused when I saw a 1998 Ford Contour parked just on the outskirts of the town. The sight of the car itself was jarring; it was completely filthy. Granted, the car was white, which means that dirt is more noticeable, but the windows were grimy, and I could hardly see inside the vehicle, unless I was standing right in front of it. There was rust caked around the door handles and the edges, and the wheels were missing hubcaps, but the keys were dangling from the ignition, and when I pulled on the driver's door, it swung open without hesitation.

"Wait! So we're just going to take this person's car then?" Daphne asked, her voice rising with surprise and her nose scrunched as if she had just smelled something sour.

"Like we were saying, we have to figure out if this is our home," I said, sliding into the driver's seat. "And if it is, then something messed up is happening, and we need to figure it out, fast. Hop in- I'm taking us to my house!"

Daphne stood outside the car for a moment, as if deciding what to do, but when I cranked the engine she climbed into the passenger seat. Luckily, there was a quarter tank of gas remaining, so it would be more than enough to carry us to my neighborhood, which was about a five-minute drive from here. As Daphne secured her seat belt, I tried glimpsing the road ahead of us through the sludge, but it was too dirty, so I tried the window wipers. The windshield was so filthy, it took a good twenty seconds of pummeling with wiper fluid to scrape away the grime and plastered-on leaves before I could see anything.

Once the windshield cleared, I navigated the car onto the road and guided us in the direction of my house, my heart beating rapidly behind my ribcage and my breathing shallow. Daphne glanced at the road, and we both exchanged a look, our eyes wide as we absorbed the desolate streets and sidewalks.

"I've never seen Coolsville this empty before," Daphne breathed, her voice a blend between awe and fear.

"I think I have, but it was only once," I replied. "And it was when Shaina took over Coolsville and transformed everyone into zombies…" My voice trailed off; both of us remained silent, and the air became thick with the implication of my words.

As we drove, we passed more buildings with doors that were boarded up; it seemed as though everyone was out of business. The sun had begun to descend in the sky, which probably meant that it was early evening now. As I continued driving, the knot in my stomach had returned, and it tightened as we drew closer and closer to my house.

Wordlessly, Daphne reached forward and switched the radio on, scrolling through static on the FM dial until the familiar pings of the Emergency Alert System screeched through the speakers. A monotone, female voice droned, "The following message is transmitted at the request of the Coolsville Police Department. The mandatory 24-hour curfew remains in effect for all of Coolsville. All citizens are ordered to stay in their homes until further notice."

Daphne gasped as three camouflaged jeeps sped by us in the opposite lanes.

"The threat of infection remains high," the monotone female voice continued. "Initial symptoms include fever, severe headache, vomiting, and muscle pain and spasms. If you believe that you or someone in your home may be infected, display a red piece of cloth in a street-facing window. If anyone in your home is deceased, display a black piece of cloth in a street-facing window. Stay tuned for further details."

The emergency alert was replaced with more static and crackling, and Daphne reached forward to shut the radio off with a trembling hand. She turned to look at me, her face white.

"If this is our Coolsville," she whispered. "Then we are so, so fucked. So fucked."

I didn't respond, and instead I increased our speed; I could see the faint outline of my residential block up ahead. I swerved onto the street and flew down the road, driving towards my house, which was in the middle of the street. As we passed my neighbor's houses, I noted the way some houses were covered in sheets of plastic, and like the businesses in Downtown Coolsville, some windows and doors were boarded up and sealed off. The power was out, which was evident from the way each house was dark; the only light to be seen through any window was the occasional flicker of candlelight. Further down the road, I finally glimpsed the first trace of another person, but I shuddered when I saw the pale, waxy skin as he or she dragged themselves down the middle of the road.

But perhaps most chilling of all was the way that most houses had pieces of clothing fluttering from windows; some were red, but most were black. I gulped, recalling the emergency alert's message on the radio.

"Oh my God, my parents!" I screeched. "And Velma and Shaggy and Scooby! We might be too late!"

When we had finally reached my house, I parked the car in the middle of the street, leaving the engine running as I jumped out of the car and raced towards the front porch. My mind was swirling with thoughts of my mom and dad's safety, and I was gasping for air. I could hear Daphne running behind me, and we both gasped when we saw six black sweaters and one red skirt draped in the window.

Daphne and I bounded onto my front porch, and I pounded my fists against the door. I peered through the large window that looks into the living room, noting the darkness and gloom stewing inside my house, and trying not to feel dismayed over the fact that I saw no trace of my mom knitting in her favorite spot on the couch, or my dad reclining in his favorite chair as he watched a football game.

Feeling the worry and frustration mounting inside of me, I knocked again. My mouth felt dry, and my breathing was laborious, as if I had just completed running a marathon. Behind me, Daphne placed a hand on my shoulder, and I pulled her to my side. "Freddy," she whispered. "I think we need to leave. I know you're worried that this is our world and something is wrong, but I think it's just going to be more dangerous if we stayed –"

Her voice trailed off as we noticed a shadow emerging from the deep recess of the house, trudging slowly past the dining-room table and moving toward the front door.

"Maybe Daphne is right," I fleetingly thought. "Maybe we shouldn't be here; the chandelier in the foyer is wrong, and mom never had a painting of a sunset hanging above her couch…"

I heard the sound of the door unlocking and clicking back, and slowly, the door cracked open less than an inch. A wave of cold air and the damp, stale stench of illness and death smacked me in the face. I could feel something bubbling in the pit of my stomach, and my heart convulsed.

"This doesn't smell anything like my home," I whispered to Daphne, and a second later the door opened further to reveal the person who was standing on the other side. Beside me, Daphne screamed, but all I could do was stare at the man who stood in the threshold of the door.

Even in the low light and even beneath the bumps that blanketed every exposed inch of skin, it was obvious that the person who had answered the door was _me_. This version of myself had bloodshot eyes, and a steady stream of water was pouring down my cheeks. He coughed, and a stream of bright red blood flew from his throat and landed on the porch, just in front of my feet. Swiftly, Daphne pulled away from my side and retreated down the porch, and I could hear her dry heaving into the bushes.

The other Fred said, "What? Is that you, Daphne? How is this possible? And how are you with someone who looks exactly like me?!"

He pulled the door open and staggered towards us, unsteady on his feet. From behind me, I heard Daphne cough into the bushes again, only this time I could hear her puking onto the grass. I felt myself rooted in place on the front porch, too terrified to move.

Sensing our horror, the other Fred took a step back, flinching.

"How is this possible?" he rasped again. "Daphne, you died."

My heart stopped.

Daphne finally managed to pull herself out of the bushes and stand next to me on the porch, and I blindly reached for her hand, which was trembling. "What are you talking about?" she finally inquired in a low voice. I was grateful she had spoken; I was too terrified to speak.

"A week ago, they carried you out of here in a body bag full of your own blood," the other Fred wavered, fresh tears streaming down his face.

"Oh God, I think I need another minute," Daphne moaned, tripping down the porch and dry heaving into the bushes again. As she continued vomiting, the other Fred and I stared at each other, unsure of what to say.

"I don't know how this is happening right now," the other Fred finally confessed. "It kills me to see her with someone else who is obviously way healthier than I am, but I am so glad she is somehow alive. I watched her draw her last breath in my bed last week, and I've been waiting to die so I could be with her again ever since." The other Fred coughed a bloody sob into the bend of his elbow, and then looked at me with a pitiful look in his eyes. "How did you manage to save her, man? I couldn't save any of them, man; I tried so hard, but I failed!"

My vocal cords had finally loosened enough for me to speak. As Daphne joined me for the third time on the porch, I asked, "What is happening here, man?"

For a moment, the other Fred lost his balance, but then he caught himself on the door frame.

"All of Coolsville has been infected," he choked. "A few weeks ago, a small group of people fell ill mysteriously. It wasn't our traditional type of mystery, but the city asked us to figure out what was going on, only we weren't fast enough. Slowly, more and more people became sick, and soon, people even started dying. For awhile, the five of us were doing okay, but we were worried about being infected, so we started camping out in my house while we worked on the case."

"But then a couple weeks ago, our worst fears came true when Velma woke up with a fever, and she couldn't stop vomiting," the other Fred continued. I saw pain flash across his eyes, and his voice wobbled as he spoke. "We knew it was too late for her when she started hemorrhaging and coughing up blood. The day after she went, Shaggy woke up ill; we're pretty sure he caught it from her so quickly because he insisted on being beside her the entire time she was dying. Naturally, Scooby fell ill immediately afterwards, and even though I kept my parents sanctioned off in the basement and away from the gang, they caught it, too. Daphne and I left everyone here to recuperate while we combed the town for some answers, hoping to save who we could, but everyone got more and more sick, and a few days later, my friends and parents were all dead, and it was just me and Daphne. I was destroyed, but I vowed to at least save her, so we decided we had to leave Coolsville. The next morning, as I was packing up the Mystery Machine, Daphne couldn't pull herself out of bed, and I saw blood stained on her pillow and knew I was too late, again. I stayed by her side for every second, and I held her in my arms up until she struggled to draw her last breath. When my parents and Velma and Scooby and Shaggy died, I cried for them each, but losing Daphne was the final straw, and I've had no will or determination to keep living. This is all my fault; I'm the leader of Mystery Inc., and I'm supposed to keep my friends and family safe, but I failed. I let them all down; I let the entire town down."

The other Fred began bawling, and Daphne and I exchanged a look, our eyes wide with sadness and shock and horror. My throat ached with grief, and tears began pooling in my eyes. I wanted to reach out and comfort the multiverse Fred, but the awful truth was that I was equally as repulsed and horrified by him, especially since I feared catching his sickness.

Finally, the other Fred picked his head up, still wavering on his feet, and glanced at us both. "Are you two real?" he asked in a brittle, hoarse voice. "Am I finally dying, and I'm just hallucinating that Daphne is returning to me, healthy and alive? And am I projecting a healthy version of myself standing beside her?"

I was caught by the multiverse's question. _Are you two real? _I wanted to ask him the same thing, but unfortunately, I knew that him and his situation were just as real as Daphne and I. Unlike with the Crystal Cove Fred, I felt enormous pity for this man; how many times had I second guessed my skills as a leader? And furthermore, how many times had I woken up, drenched in a cold sweat and gasping for breath as I reeled from this exact nightmare, which was now playing out before me in real life?

In the distance, I could hear the low rumble of an approaching engine. Daphne smacked my arm with urgency and gestured towards the street, where a camouflaged SUV was slowly snaking towards us.

"We better go," she whispered to me quickly, but her eyes flitted back to the other version of me, who was still tottering on the front porch.

The other Fred must have sensed something going on, because he only nodded. "Please don't feel that you have to stay here," he said, his voice so quiet that he was hardly even whispering. "I know that my time is coming, and I feel I can finally die in peace seeing Daphne healthy before me again. I'm ready to slip away so I can be with her and my family and the rest of the gang again; besides, I deserve to be punished for fucking up so badly. I failed, and I let everyone down. I literally got myself and all of my friends and the love of my life killed this time!"

As the SUV screeched to a stop in front of my house, a man with a mustache clambered out of the car slowly. Daphne whipped around to face the other Fred and offer him a genuine, bright smile. "You never let anyone down, and above all, you could never let me down, Fred," she said reassuringly, her voice soft as wool. "I'll see you again soon; I just wanted to visit you once more to tell you that everyone is so proud of you, and that you shouldn't be scared to slip away and be with us all again."

For the first time since the other version of myself had opened the door, his face broke into a grin. My heart squeezed in my chest, and I reached for Daphne's hand and guided her down the porch. She glanced back, just once, at the other version of myself as we made our way to the Ford Contour, which was still idling in the street.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"

We both froze in our tracks and faced the masculine man who had emerged from the SUV. A gas mask covered his mouth and nose, and he looked intimidating; his arms were rocky and curved with muscles, which was outlined beneath his camouflaged colored biohazard suit.

"Where are you two going?!" the man barked again. "You know that Coolsville is under a 24-hour curfew! You need to get back in the house!"

"We can't go in that house!" Daphne whispered to me urgently. "If we catch what the other Fred has then we'll die before we can have a chance to find our real home. Plus, everyone else died in there, so it's definitely infected!"

I nodded slightly to indicate that I had heard her, then locked eyes with the man. "Sorry, sir," I began. "Uh, we know this, but you see, our friend is really ill, and we need to find a way to save him!"

The man's eyes narrowed into slits as he observed the other version of myself, who luckily was so sick that he didn't look like me as obviously as he could have if he were healthy. Unmoved, the man's eyes flitted back to gaze upon me and Daphne. "It seems as though you have the proper colored cloths displayed in your window," the man retorted. "Someone will be along to assist you soon. Now move!"

"But he needs medical attention right now, and we were just about to drive somewhere to find some!" Daphne cried, pointing to the Ford Contour.

"And I said you two need to go back inside, _now_!" The man screamed. Before either of us could respond, he retreated to his car and yielded an assault rifle from his seat. Daphne shrieked, and we both raised our hands up into the air. "Now don't move, either of you!"

"Okay okay, we aren't moving!" I said as calmly as possible. "Just please, don't shoot us!"

I could hear my heart pounding in my ears as the man slowly edged towards me and Daphne, his rifle still pointed in our direction. I glanced at Daphne out of the corner of my eye, and whispered out of the corner of my mouth, "When I count to three, run like mad for the car. One…twooo…."

"What are you two kids saying?!" The man screeched. "That's it, for the safety of this town, I need to have you both taken down before you risk spreading further contamination in our –"

Suddenly I saw a movement blur out of the corner of my eye, and in an instant, the multiverse Fred leapt, or rather, he stumbled, on top of the muscular man, who never saw Fred coming because he had his back facing my house. Despite how weak the other Fred had to be due to his sickness, the man was taken aback and crumbled to the ground, dropping his gun in the process.

"RUN!" Multiverse Fred screamed at us. "I can't hold him off for too long!"

Startled, Daphne and I were frozen, shocked by this turn of events. I started moving towards the other Fred as the muscular man quickly shoved multiverse Fred to the ground and pummeled him in the face with his fist, but I stumbled when Daphne grabbed my wrist and began dragging me to the car.

"We have to help him!" I screamed, my eyes widening at the fight unfurling before us. "That man is going to kill the other Fred!"

"But we can't touch the other Fred or risk being killed, or we'll never make it home!" Daphne yelled back. "Besides, I can't lose risk losing you, and he is going to die no matter what!"

Realizing that logically Daphne was right, I only nodded. The roof of my mouth was coated with a metallic taste, and I knew that I might puke soon, but I moved numbly into the driver seat of the car. Once Daphne was inside, we peeled off, and when we were halfway down the street, we both flinched and remained silent when we heard the sound of a single gunshot coming from where we had just left.

My hands were shaking on the steering wheel as I turned out of my neighborhood and nudged the car through Downtown Coolsville, tracing our steps back to the high school. The car was thick with silence and something else – guilt? Sadness? Shock? It was hard to say. Finally, Daphne placed a hand on my knee, and she looked as though she was going to say something, but then she paused and glanced behind us.

"Uhh, Fred?" Daphne said quietly. "There's a car following us."

I stole a look in my rearview mirror, and sure enough, a camouflaged colored car was stealthily riding just a few inches away from my bumper, moving as fluid and silent as a ghost. A second later the car flicked on its blinding high beams, and splinters of light flooded the interior of our car, causing us to blink and narrow our eyes as we drove.

A voice boomed through a megaphone behind us. "Attention, driver," a man intoned. "Pull your vehicle onto the shoulder immediately."

Panic and adrenaline slammed throughout my body. Pulling over wasn't a choice; we couldn't risk being sent back to my illness-infected home, and at this rate, chances are we were going to be shot, just like the multiverse Fred. But we had no means of defending ourselves; we had a knife in our backpack, gifted to us by the multiverse Velma, but it was no match for an assault rifle. And worst of all, this car was piece of shit; there was no way we were going to outrun anyone.

Daphne looked at me with panic in her eyes as I took my foot off the gas and watched the speedometer needle swing counterclockwise. "Freddy, what are you doing?!" she gasped. "You're stopping?!"

"Yes," I replied tersely, pulling onto the side of the road as I spoke. As I hoped, the car behind me mimicked me, and it too eased onto the shoulder.

"But why?!" Daphne cried, her eyes frantic with fear. She grabbed my arm and squeezed it, as if she could wrench some reason into my brain.

I eased down on the brake pedal, bringing the car to a complete stop. Behind us, the car also shuddered to an abrupt stop.

"Do you trust me?" I asked her quickly, turning so I could face Daphne. She nodded, just once. Her eyes were shining with tears, but the nod was enough, and I quickly leaned over and kissed her, hard, on the mouth.

"I love you," I said, "You were so great back there with that other Fred. And I promise you, I am getting us out of here. Just hang on!"

"Turn off your vehicle and drop the keys out the window!" a man's voice boomed from behind us. I looked over at Daphne, who bit her lip nervously, and I just stared at her, committing everything about her face to memory, and cataloguing every detail about her, just in case my plan didn't work, and this was the end for us.

"This is your last warning!" the voice bellowed again. "Turn off your car and drop the keys out the window. Any attempt to flee will be met with lethal force."

A mile or so back, I could see more headlights bobbing in the distance. I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants, and shifted the car into park, killing the lights. Slowly, I lowered my window several inches and poked my arm outside, miming the act of dropping a set of keys outside and hoping that it had looked authentic to the person behind us. A second later, the driver's side of the car behind us flew open, and another man in a gas mask and a biohazard suit emerged from the car, his gun already drawn.

Immediately, I threw the car back into gear, hit the lights, and floored the accelerator, all the while praying that the motor didn't roll over and fail. Luckily, the car roared to life, and as we began barreling down the road, I heard two gunshots over the roar of the engine, and I flinched at the slight impact of bullets peppering our back bumper. The impact of being shot caused the car to swerve slightly, but I tugged the steering wheel and guided us straight onwards, screeching down the road as the car accelerated with more and more speed.

"DAPHNE, DUCK!" I screamed as a bullet hole punctured the windshield, causing a crack to sprawl across the glass. Another gunshot pierced the air, and it ripped into the cassette deck, causing the radio to smoke. Daphne and I began coughing and sputtering, and I pressed down on the gas pedal, hoping and praying for a miracle.

Keeping her hands on top of her head, Daphne glanced behind us. "Freddy, they're gaining on us!" she yelped. "There's a bunch of them coming now!"

I gulped; I had a feeling the headlights I had seen earlier were more cars coming for us. I was driving a little over 90 miles now, and the engine was straining to maintain speed, but we continued tearing through the deserted streets of Coolsville. A second later, we came upon the street where the high school was located, requiring us to make a left hand turn. I made the turn going 75 miles per hour, the car tipping to the side ever so slightly. The inertia of it all slammed Daphne against her door, and nearly sent me flying into her seat, but a second later we swerved onto the road and were propelling forward again. Under normal circumstances, the remainder of the ride would take about two minutes, but we were about to make it in a matter of seconds.

Suddenly, Daphne leaned forward, staring out the windshield.

"What's wrong?" I asked, trying not to let the panic tinge my voice. "Do you see something?"

"Freddy," she gulped. "I think there's a helicopter following us."

I moaned. "Jesus Christ, we just can't catch a break!"

Daphne turned to me, her lips white. "Freddy," she said softly. "If they catch us, they're going to –"

I cut her off before she could finish her thought. "I know, Daphne." I said, "I know."

The car continued to scream through the empty street, but the silence we had confronted earlier was replaced by the sound of a round slamming the trunk of the car, followed by three more firing in fast succession, like someone taking a hammer to metal.

"Oh my God, I think that's a machine gun," Daphne cried.

"Duck down on the ground," I instructed. "Now!"

As Daphne crawled onto the floorboard, she covered her ears and closed her eyes, as if doing so would erase everything happening around us. Behind us, I could hear the wailing of sirens drawing near, and two more rounds pierced the back window and the windshield. Through the bullet-riddled glass, I could finally see the school straight ahead.

"We're going to make it," I said. "Just hang on- we're almost there!"

I made another hard right to turn into the school parking lot, and this time the impact sent Daphne flying into the glove box and shoved me forward into the steering wheel. Another trio of bullets sprinkled the rear passenger door, and Daphne screamed. I cut the lights, and the first few seconds of driving without headlights felt like flying through darkness, but then my eyes adjusted. I saw the black silhouette of the school before us, and I took my foot off the gas, allowing the car to reduce its speed.

Glancing back, I saw two SUV's cut aggressive turns into the school parking lot, and though the cars were gaining on us quickly, I didn't think their high beams touched us yet. As our speed kept dropping, I rolled through the parking lot, hoping and praying that we wouldn't be spotted in the pitch dark, and trying to ignore the fact that the sirens were getting louder. Finally, I killed the engine, and in one swift, fluid movement, Daphne climbed up from the floorboard as I reached for our backpacks, which were nestled in the backseat. The slams of our car doors bounced off the brick walls of the school, and I grabbed her hand as we sprinted toward the entrance to the door. A helicopter buzzed in the sky overhead, and a beaming spotlight scraped across the parking lot, attempting to find us as we moved. My heart was beating so forcefully that I was sure the person navigating the helicopter could hear it, and I was seriously afraid that my heart would betray us simply by beating so noisily.

Suddenly, I heard an engine revving, and my heart dropped into my stomach when a camouflaged SUV skidded to a stop near us, blinding us with its headlights.

"STOP!" A man's voice pierced the night sky. "Don't move, or we will be forced to shoot you!"

"Keep running!" I instructed Daphne, pulling her along with me as I raced towards the school. I could see the door just fifteen feet away from us – then ten – then eight – then…

The sound of gunfire spearing towards us caused Daphne to scream, but I squeezed her hand, hoping that she received my message to keep moving, and I continued to drag her towards the door. Finally, we were standing before the door, and I ripped it open in one violent pull, and Daphne and I both tripped inside the school as another round ricocheted against the door. Since it was evening and the power was out, the hallways were pitch-black, so I fumbled for our backpack and dug out the flashlight, flicking it on so we could make our way towards the gymnasium. Unsure of whether or not we were being followed, we continued walking faster and faster, our footsteps pounding against the floor. Sweat was running down my face and stinging my eyes, but I didn't stop to wipe it away, continuing to run beside Daphne as my heart rattled my chest.

As we neared the entrance to the gymnasium, voices called after us from the end of the hallway, and Daphne gasped. I could faintly hear radios and hushed voices whispering urgently, and then a torrent of gunfire filled the hallway. Daphne screamed, and I pulled her against the side of the hallway. We flattened ourselves against the lockers and dropped to the ground, and I pulled Daphne, who had begun to whimper and cry, against my chest. She burrowed her face in the crook of my neck, and I was holding her in my arms so that one hand was resting against her neck and the other was covering her spine, attempting to protect and shield her as best as I possibly could. "Hang on," I spoke into her ear, trying to speak over the sound of the gunfire screaming down the hallway. "We're almost there!"

Bullet holes penetrated lockers, scattering various sized craters across the silver surfaces. I felt like I was cowering in the trenches of a war zone, and for a second I felt myself double guessing my fake-out earlier; maybe I should have just confronted the person who had pulled us over, and maybe we could have done something different. Daphne dug her nails into my arms and squeezed me tighter as the bullets continued to pepper the lockers around us, and I stroked her hair and kissed her forehead in an attempt to calm her nerves, but in all honesty, I was waiting for one of us to be shot and killed at any moment, and in that moment, the only sliver of hope that simmered in my heart was knowing that if a bullet struck me and I died, I would at least die holding Daphne. I was jarred by a sense of déjà vu, flashing back to a similar moment back in the blizzard world when I had clutched Daphne against my chest, and I recalled thinking the very same thing about how the only glimmer of light in that dark situation would have been holding her as we froze to death in the snow. I clenched my teeth, bracing myself for the inevitable until finally, mercifully, the hallway was silent. Not wasting any time, I pulled Daphne and I from the ground and lead us through the doors of the gymnasium, but our pace was slowed because we were both moving on wobbly legs, as unsteady as newborn calves.

"They just ran into the gym!" I could hear a yelp from down the hallway. "GET THEM!"

A few feet ahead of us was the gunmetal colored box, which normally filled me with a sense of dread, but I now regarded with a sense of immense relief. Daphne and I continued running, the box and its safety drawing closer and closer to us, but so were our pursuers; in fact, they were so close that I could pick out three distinct voices reverberating in the hallway outside the gym.

As we finally reached the box and stopped before the doorway, I struggled to pull the heavy door, and Daphne stepped next to me, helping me as I attempted to open it. Behind us, the door to the gym swung open, and I could feel the panic swell inside of me.

"FREEZE!" A voice demanded, but Daphne and I disobeyed, scrambling to open the door even faster than before. Finally, the door to the box cracked, and even though it was only open by a few inches, Daphne wedged herself through the crack. I was following right behind her when a gunshot rang out across the gym. I felt something zip by my right ear like a passing hornet, and a bullet struck the door of the box with a spark of fire. My ear was suddenly burning and my body screamed in pain, but I gritted my teeth and began to slip through the crack of the door. Daphne grasped my wrist and tugged me inside the box to safety. As the sound of more voices demanded at us to stop running, we dug our shoulders into the door and nudged it closed. From the other side of the door, the men were so close that I could hear them panting through their gas masks, and then they opened fire, and the bullets banged against the metal box, but I was already slipping the backpack off my shoulders and passing a green vial of liquid to Daphne, who downed it instantly. I downed a vial of green liquid just as rapidly; my vision blurred and I stumbled for a moment, and the sound of gunshots faded away as the box expanded into a long, winding hallway. Finally, I heard one last, faint gunshot, and it was the final noise I could detect from that nightmarish world.

Immediately, I began walking down the corridor, the adrenaline still coursing through my body. I felt as though I was trudging underwater; I could hear Daphne calling me as she attempted to keep up from behind me, but she sounded distant and far-away. Everything was too much, too much; between the Crystal Cove version of myself and his disheveled beard, and Daphne dating another guy, and the bloodied, torn-up version of myself staggering down the hallway, I now had to wrestle with the fact that I had failed to find a cure for all of Coolsville in another world, and I had watched my parents and friends and Daphne die right before my eyes.

Daphne was walking beside me now, and I looked at her and saw her lips moving, but I didn't hear the words tumbling out of her mouth. She looked frantic; her eyebrows were knit together, and her eyes were pooling with tears as she watched me, and I could see blood seeping onto my shirt, and I realized with a slight jolt that the reason I was bleeding all over my clothes was because my ear had been shot as I was trying to slip into the box. I knew that I should probably stop and take care of the bleeding, and I could see that at some point, without me somehow noticing, Daphne had retrieved a tissue from our backpack and was attempting to get me to stop walking so she could take care of the bleeding, but I needed to keep moving; I didn't want to stop and think about everything I had seen so far.

As my feet pounded and echoed throughout the corridor, various images and sounds flitted before my eyes, playing like a grainy horror film that I was forced to watch against my will. I saw a version of myself stumbling and tripping down the hallway, the skin on his back torn and chunks of skin bleeding; I saw Daphne hanging off the arms of the tanned, muscular actor, her head thrown back in laughter; I saw a version of myself swaying and tottering on the front porch, defeated over the fact that he had watched Daphne and his friends die in his own house; I saw the long, dirty, unkempt beard of Crystal Cove Fred. I shook my head in an attempt to erase these images from my head, and I tried instead to focus on my footsteps echoing throughout the hallway, counting each step as I stared straight ahead at the infinite amount of doors stretched out before us.

One step, bloodied Fred, lurching down the hallway. Two, Daphne, laughing and holding hands with an attractive, tanned man. Three, a greasy, knotted, blonde beard. Four, blood pooling onto Daphne's pillow as multiverse Fred screamed and shrieked and begged her not to die. Five, the carcass of Shaggy and Scooby and Velma, rotting and decaying in my room upstairs. Six, Velma unveiling the box, beaming proudly as all of Coolsville clapped and clapped and clapped, seven, Daphne opening her college acceptance letter and laughing and shrieking and crying, "I GOT IN, I GOT IN," eight, the smell of death and illness still singed in my nostrils, nine, blood, ten, vomit, eleven, freezing, numbing, cold and snow, stabbing every pore in my face, twelve, her lips were blue so blue so blue how do I save her, thirteen, bullets screaming, fourteen, maggots crawling out of my hollowed-out eyes and devouring every inch of my skin, fifteen, Daphne climbing into bed with a tanned muscular man he was unhooking her bra and she was moaning and groaning with pleasure as he kissed her neck, sixteen, Shaggy reaching for my hand from his bed and pleading with me through his cracked, dry lips, "Save Velma and Scooby," seventeen, five coffins; four human shaped, one dog shaped, eighteen, my parents shaking their head in dismay and my father saying, "we expected so much more from you, so much more," and suddenly, suddenly –

Suddenly, I was screaming and crying and clawing at my hair, and the hallway collapsed into a single box, and Daphne was reaching for my hands and trying to make me stop hurting myself. I threw the backpack off; I was cold and shivering, and I was aware of being coated in a dry sweat. Daphne finally managed to grab both my hands in her own, and I felt as though I had resurfaced from beneath the water; I could hear the sound of my own panting, and I could vividly see the tears streaming silently down Daphne's face as she stared at me. Then she moved her hand through my hair, her eyes reflecting compassion and fear, and something inside of me loosened and released, and I felt a flood of all the emotions I had felt and held inside of me for the past couple of days wash over me, all the strength and tension and anger and fear, and finally, the inauthentic courage. Everything, everything flooded out of me at once in a stream of hot and heavy tears and uncontrollable sobbing, and Daphne didn't hesitate to step forward and wrap me up in her arms, holding me tighter than I could ever remember her holding me, as if I would drift away if she let me go. I could feel both of us shaking and trembling as the tears wracked throughout my body, and I crumpled to the ground, unable to prop myself up any against the weight of my emotions any longer.

I curled myself into a ball as I continued sobbing, and I was aware of Daphne dropping onto the ground so she could lay beside me. I allowed her to pull me against her body, and she wrapped one arm around my chest and the other around my neck. She ran her fingers through my hair, and as I cried and cried and cried, she whispered, "Shhh – I've got you, and I won't let anything happen to you now."

The last thing I heard before I drifted off into a deep, dark, dreamless sleep was Daphne telling me that she loved me as she continued to run her fingers through my hair; not once did her fingers ever stop running through my hair.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone - wow, thank you for all the feedback and support on the previous chapter! Seriously, you all have no idea what your kind and encouraging words mean to me, and I am so happy everyone is enjoying this story! I didn't anticipate having the next chapter this soon, but it's a holiday weekend, and I had some time on my hands, and now I'm motivated to finish this story through! It's been awhile since we've checked in on the Coolsville/regular version of Shaggy, Velma, and Scooby with the multiverse Fred and Daphne, so here it is! The chapter following this one will swing back to Fred and Daphne, but I needed to build some tension with the gang back in their original universe since it's been awhile. Again, thanks to everyone who reviewed and to everyone who has been following this story thus far! I hope you enjoy everything that's coming in the future! - iamacliche

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**Chapter 13**

"Gee kids, thanks so much – I can't believe you caught the Coolsville Bank robber in less than 24 hours! And all this on the heels of catching the werewolf of Coolsville less than five hours ago!"

Velma grinned so wide, she thought her face would crack. She was standing between Shaggy and Scooby, who looked just as enthusiastic as she felt; they were celebrating the conclusion to this most recent mystery by splitting an entire box of Scooby Snacks, and already, there were hundreds of little crumbs sprinkled around their feet. As Velma gazed at Fred and Daphne and Officer Smith, who were also clustered around her, it was evident that the general mood was one of celebration and pride. Fred's cheeks were flushed, and there was a twinkle in Daphne's eyes that Velma hadn't seen in a long time; it was as though, somehow, this most recent mystery had invigorated the two and rekindled a spark for mystery solving that they had allowed to disintegrate over the past few months.

Seated on the ground in front of everyone was a man dressed in bright, bold purple pants speckled with multi-colored polka dots, and a pastel yellow colored top complete with a frilly white collar. His hands were bound together with thick, sturdy ropes, which had been tied courtesy of Fred. Despite the fact that the man's white make-up was now dripping off his face and streaked across his cheeks, it was still evident that the man's costume was reflective of a clown, which wasn't an entirely unique monster for the gang in their latest string of mysteries, but it was unique in that it was an unusual choice of costume for a bank robber who wanted to be taken seriously.

"So kids, I think we all know what happens next – exposition time!" Officer Smith beamed, clapping his hands together excitedly like a child on Christmas morning. "Let's hear it; how did you know it was Roderick Hirshman this entire time? And what in the world was his motive for robbing the Coolsville Bank?"

Velma's arms and fingers began tingling; she thrived on the rush that detailing and outlining a criminal's motives gave her at the end of every mystery, and it made her feel even more thrilled knowing that her and her friends were the reason the criminal was now forced to confront justice. She loved these moments even more than the time she spent observing and calculating in the Coolsville High School science lab, and that was truly saying something.

"Old Roderick Hirshman here thought he could fool everyone into believing he was the real evil spirit of the Clown who mysteriously vanished from the Coolsville Carnival about 50 years ago," Velma began with a smile. "But we knew it was him the instant when – "

Fred suddenly cleared his throat and looked at Velma sheepishly. "Actually, Velms, would it be okay if I took the lead on this one?"

Velma cut her eyes into narrow slits as she regarded Fred coolly; normally, she wouldn't have minded if another member of the gang had cut in to contribute to the exposition. In fact, most times, normally the exposition served as a sort of round robin, with each member of the gang weaving in and out of the story at the appropriate time to add a new detail about the villain, so that everyone had a chance to speak. Secretly, Velma loved the way the gang silently agreed upon the responsibilities of who would say what; it felt as though it connected her and her friends together with an invisible thread, fortifying the bond they all shared. But over the past two days, it was as though Fred had completely forgotten the gang's usual dynamics, and now the thread was wearing thin and fraying.

"But Fred," Velma protested, trying not to let her voice sound whiny and tinged with disappointment, "You took the lead on the entire exposition with the werewolf man earlier, too. Don't you think you should let the rest of us have a chance to say something? It's like you've forgotten how this whole thing works!"

Fred furrowed his eyebrows together and opened his mouth, ready to retort, but Daphne chose that moment to cut in between the two friends, her hands slicing the air between the two, as though doing so would diffuse the tension crackling in the atmosphere. "Sorry, Velms, I think Freddy is just excited because he was extra proud of how his giant clown shoe contraption released its shoe laces at the exact moment to trap Hirshman in a net. If you let him detail this mystery, then I'll make sure you take over the next one!" Daphne ended her proposal by flashing her bright white teeth at Velma, silently begging her friend to agree.

Velma threw her hands up in the air and sighed, exasperated, and nodded her head wordlessly. Shaggy and Scooby, who had watched the entire exchange develop silently, took a step back, almost as if they too would be sucked into the disagreement simply by standing too close. Fred interpreted everyone's silence as approval and beamed before diving right into the expositions, his words tumbling out quickly, as if his mouth could hardly keep up with his thoughts.

Even though Velma knew she should be paying attention, she couldn't help but let her thoughts wander as she watched Fred speak. On paper, the past two days had been perfect; Velma and the gang had spent almost every hour that they were awake solving mysteries together, and they had broken a record for the amount of mysteries they had solved in such a short time span. Fred and Daphne's spirits were high, much more elevated than usual, and Shaggy and Scooby were taking everything in stride by being their usual goofy selves. Velma's heart swelled when she reflected on all the mysteries her and her friends had shattered over in such a short time span, but she couldn't help but shake this feeling that was nibbling away in the back of her brain that something just wasn't quite right. She saw it fleetingly, in little moments such as this, when Fred insisted on overstepping his role as the leader and vocalizing the entire exposition without any tributes from the gang. But the most unsettling thing was the way Fred was never satisfied after a mystery concluded; he was like a dog with an insatiable appetite, thirsty for more, yanking and pulling the gang towards the next big adventure not even a few minutes after the previous one had ended. In theory, this should have made Velma happy, but it was almost concerning how Fred relied upon the next exciting mystery; it was as though he couldn't breathe properly unless he had another mystery locked in his sight.

Velma jolted, jarred from her thoughts by Officer Smith hauling Hirshman off the ground; Fred must have completed the exposition. Hirshman eyed each of the gang, and out of the corner of his mouth, he spat, "And I woulda gotten away with it, too – if it weren't for you meddlin' kids, and yer dumb dog!"

Fred beamed, and his smile was open and genuine and warm, and for a moment, Velma almost felt guilty for thinking so negatively about him. "Ahhh!" he said. "Hearing that never gets old!"

Officer Smith smirked and rolled his eyes, mouthing, "Typical," just as he did whenever someone said that about the gang at the end of a mystery. As was the case with the rest of the mysteries the gang had solved over the past two days, nothing about this one was so glaringly different from mysteries that had wrapped up in the past, right down to the criminal's parting remarks, and Officer Smith's cued response as he towed the criminal off to jail. But again, Velma couldn't help but feel as though there was something bubbling beneath the current, something she couldn't quite see nor touch, but it if she just squinted a bit –

As Officer Smith's police car drove away, Fred turned to the gang and smiled eagerly. "Well! That about wraps up another one."

"Say, Freddy, we're really on a roll here!" Shaggy remarked. "But, like, I think Scoob and I are startin' to feel kind of pooped out from all this adventure! What do ya think about maybe takin' a break for a coupla days?"

Velma almost sighed with relief, but she caught herself when she saw the stormy look that passed over Fred's eyes.

"Are you suggesting that we just stop solving mysteries, Shaggy?!" Fred bellowed. Velma felt the hairs on her neck raise.

"What?! No way, man!" Shaggy replied, his face looking fearful too. Scooby whined, unsettled by the tension accumulating in the air.

Luckily, Daphne stepped forward again, ready to mediate once more, and it occurred to Velma that mediating between Fred and the rest of the gang seemed to be Daphne's new role over the past two days.

"Hold up, everyone!" Daphne cried. "Fred, Shaggy was _not _asking to disband Mystery Inc., and Shaggy, Fred doesn't mean any harm in suggesting that you might be looking for a break. I think we're all just feeling a little tired from all the mysteries we've been solving, and maybe things will look brighter first thing in the morning?"

And here Daphne turned to Fred, eyeing him with a look that was both pleading and fearful, imploring him to remain silent. Fred continued staring at Daphne, his eyes bulging slightly out of his face and his cheeks red, and Velma held her breath, unsure of what would happen. Finally, Fred exhaled slowly, as if he had been holding his breath underwater for a long time, and replied brusquely, "Fine. Whatever. We'll see what happens tomorrow, I guess. I just thought we were all having fun…"

As Fred's voice trailed off, Velma finally chimed in, saying, "Fred, we were having fun, but sometimes requesting a break doesn't mean that things have to end indefinitely. I think our nerves are all just fried, and it would be a good idea to go home and recharge our batteries. You have to admit, this string of mysteries back-to-back has indeed been thrilling, but it's also exhausting! Truth be told, I'm not sure where you've uncovered all this abundant energy for this lately."

Fred grunted, saying nothing, and turned on his heels and walked off, leaving a confounded Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby behind.

Velma turned to the rest of the gang, blinking, as she attempted to process everything that just happened.

"Like, is it just me, or does Fredster seem kinda, like, off lately?" Shaggy asked.

"Res! Fred is definitely rot right," Scooby agreed, bobbing his head up and down.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who is noticing this," Velma echoed, the tension knotted in her stomach unfurling as her suspicions were now confirmed. "It almost seems as though he is stressed about something lately. Or, if I didn't know better, I would say he is addicted to mystery solving; granted, I know each of us loves solving mysteries, but Freddy almost seems to thrive off of it, as if solving mysteries is essential to his survival. And this all started two days ago –"

"Honestly, guys," Daphne interjected. Velma noticed Daphne's forehead was beading with sweat, and she wiped her palms anxiously on her skirt. "I know it seems kind of weird with how Freddy has been behaving lately, but he's just, uh, really passionate ever since our near death accident a few days ago. I know I mentioned that it really gave us a new perspective on things, and I think Freddy is just appreciative every day that we weren't killed by that car in the Coolsville parking lot."

Shaggy and Scooby's features visibly softened with empathy at Daphne's words, and Velma couldn't help but feel just a little lighter, too, but something still didn't feel quite right; the hair on her neck was standing up straight, the same way it did whenever she was confronted with a ghost during a new mystery. "With all due respect, Daphne, I feel that only extends so far," Velma said. "I understand being appreciative and feeling renewal towards life, but Freddy's personality somehow feels heightened to me; he is constantly delegating, more so than is required of his duties as our leader, and he seems more defensive and quick to react emotionally – and not in a positive way. Maybe we should talk to him?"

"NO!" Daphne yelped, causing her friends to jump. When she saw their reaction, she blushed, and repeated, only softer, "I mean, no; thanks for the concern, Velma, but I'll just talk to him. I think he's just stressed with stuff going on at home, and I think he's just so relieved to have everyone back that –"

"Like, what do you mean?" Shaggy asked, scratching his head. "Why did you just say that?"

"Say what?" Daphne echoed, her eyebrows knit together with confusion.

"Shaggy is right," Velma said. "You are talking as though Fred lost our friendship or something, or as though we were dead and just came back from the grave. Why are you talking like that, Daphne? I feel like this isn't the first time I've caught you saying this, too!"

Daphne's cheeks were bright pink, and her eyes darted around nervously. "Guys, I didn't mean anything by it, I swear!" Daphne exclaimed, but her voice was high-pitched, just as it sounded whenever she was nervous or concealing something. "You know, Shaggy was right; I think we're all just tired and need a break. I'm going home now – see you all tomorrow."

Just as Fred had left in a dramatic fashion, Daphne swiveled on her feet and turned away, heading towards the direction of her home. Shaggy, Scooby, and Velma all exchanged confused looks, their eyes reflecting the same question – _what in the world was going on with Fred and Daphne?_

"Like, I swear I didn't mean to start somethin' by suggestin' we took a day off!" Shaggy cried. "Sorry, Velms and Scooby."

Velma shook her head, struggling to find the words to say to Shaggy and Scooby. "Shaggy, don't be sorry; you're right, something is not right. I propose we all head home, relax, and see what tomorrow brings. Perhaps Fred and Daphne are having problems with their relationship and aren't telling us, or maybe there is something going on at home for one or both of them. Either way, something feels off, especially with Fred, and we're going to get to the bottom of it, just as we would with any other mystery!"


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

When I woke up, my eyelids fluttered open slowly, as though I was emerging from a deep, dark coma. I was lying on my side, and the room was pitch-black; I panicked for a second before I remembered that I was still inside the box. A second later, I registered Daphne contoured against me, who was also laying on her side as she slept peacefully, her chest rising and falling slightly with each breath. She had one arm still draped over my chest, and her head was resting in the crook of my arm. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could distinctly discern that her purple skirt was dirtied and ripped, and her purple blazer had somehow been torn off completely during our run through the previous world, so that only a thin, green shirt remained, and that too was tattered and torn. Then the memory of her consoling me and running her fingers through my hair washed over me, and my heart swelled and my bones warmed as I stared at her. But in the next instant, I felt a pang of guilt – how many times was I nearly going to get her killed as I dragged her through world after world within the multiverse? Just as with the previous worlds, she had rightfully warned me about her suspicions, and I brushed her off each time, and subsequently, paid the consequences. When was I going to learn? And furthermore, what did I do to deserve her love and concern for me?

I kissed her lightly on the forehead before I slowly and carefully untangled myself from her. I pulled off my jacket, which was just as ragged and dirtied as Daphne's clothes, and I folded it into a pillow, sliding it under her head as she slept. She stirred, but didn't wake, and I smiled as I watched her sleeping, but the guilt still wracked throughout my body. A thought cropped up in my mind, and even though it made me shudder, I couldn't help but wonder if there was any validity in it.

_What if Daphne is better off without me navigating this multiverse? After all, she always knows when there's danger ahead, and I'm the one who always gets us into trouble. Besides, it's already been proven that she can do way better than me._

I squeezed my eyes shut, banishing the thought, and instead I took inventory of how I was feeling, and it was then I noticed that I was thirsty and hungry; my throat felt parched and raw, and my stomach felt hollow from not having anything to eat recently. I wasn't sure of how long Daphne and I had slept, but even if it was only a few hours, it had certainly been a long time since we had anything to eat or drink. I crawled toward where I had thrown the backpack on the ground and unzipped it, retrieving a bottle of water and a protein bar, both of which I gulped down greedily. After I had finished eating, I ran my hand over my right ear, the one that had been shot in the previous world, and sighed in relief when I felt that the blood had dried and scabbed over. I was lucky; I wouldn't know for sure until I saw my reflection in the mirror or asked Daphne, but it felt as though just a tiny bit of skin had been trimmed off from the bullet. It definitely wasn't ideal, but the situation could have been a lot worse – much, much worse.

As I sat in the middle of the box, just a few feet away from Daphne, who continued sleeping, I eyed the single door standing sinisterly in front of us, and I couldn't help but consider the reality of our helplessness. Aside from each other, this box was the only constant in our lives right now; we were like a tiny boat, bobbling in the middle of a large, wide, expansive ocean, with no horizon in sight. Shuddering, I realized this box was more than just a means to the multiverse now. This box was our shelter; it was our prison; and in spite of the fact that we had been spending these past few days searching for Coolsville, it was becoming our _home_. Even though the multiverse Velma had given us a significant tip on how to drive this box, it wasn't working. It was like trying to find a particular pebble in a grainy, sandy beach; there was no way we were going to find our one world out of the infinite array of doors.

I stared at the door, wondering what kind of hell awaited us on the other side this time. Since the hallway had collapsed while I was having my mental breakdown, we were restricted to this one door, this one world. While I wasn't too eager to tackle yet another terrifying world, the box was starting to make me feel claustrophobic. As I stood and shuffled my way through the dark, bumping against the wall and fumbling for the door knob, I considered the fact that it could be dangerous to risk breaking the seal of the door, but I was dying to know what was out there waiting for us. Besides, I had to start thinking like Daphne in terms of skipping over worlds and realities entirely; if I could perceive this world as an immediate threat, then I would wake her up, and we would just start moving again.

When I finally found the handle, I turned the knob and dragged the door open slowly. The door whined in protest as it opened, and a blade of light sheared into the box, shining so brilliantly that I blinked. I slipped through the cracks of the threshold and shut the door quickly so as not to disturb Daphne while she slept. As soon as I turned to face this world, the first sensation I registered was the smell of fresh evergreens. Shafts of sunlight slanted down through a forest of closely spaced pine trees, and in the near distance, a deer bounded off soundlessly through the pines. I blinked in disbelief, shocked over the peacefulness and tranquility of this world; this was, without a doubt, the first world that had not tried to kill me within five minutes, and it seemed to pose no immediate threat.

I walked out a little way from the box, stepping through the thin mist that hovered delicately over the pine-needle floor, and inhaling the soft, clean scent of evergreens. A breeze was pushing through the tops of the trees, and I could faintly detect the distinct, sharp smell of smoke in the wind, but the smoke was the kind of burning reminiscent of cool fall evenings spent swaddled in cotton flannel blankets beside a bonfire, laughing and talking with friends. As I lowered myself onto a log just a few feet away from the box, I couldn't help but wonder who, if anyone, lived here, and what sort of world we had ended up in now. So far, the box connected us to points that were immediately connected to Coolsville, or somehow connected to me and Daphne's life, albeit some horrific, fucked-up swerve derived from some point in our collective past. And then I recalled the multiverse Velma pointing out that the box contrived entire worlds based on our emotions as we stepped through a door. I flashed back to Daphne, holding me as I released torrents of fear and frustration and grief, and the way I descended into sleep, feeling safe and comforted, at least for a bit, and waking up to that same sense of security once I saw her still wrapped around me like a vine. As the direct morning sun broke through the tops of the trees and began to warm my face, I allowed myself a smile as I observed the trees and the sun and the pine needles strewn around me, and as I inhaled the restorative qualities of this world, I thought, "Of course Daphne and I are here now; this feels like the calm after a storm."

"Freddy!?"

Daphne's voice sliced through the serenity of the woods and my thoughts. I jumped, spinning around towards the box, my pulse racing at the tone of her voice, reacting to the way it climbed a few octaves higher than usual, which was usually indicative of her fear or pain. Immediately, my palms began to sweat as I anticipated the next terrifying thing that would inevitably confront us in this world; would it be another ghost, like in the Crystal Cove world? Or would we see yet another version of myself, tattered both physically and emotionally, or some other version of Daphne and the gang that I had damaged, or was much more successful without me?

I was so accustomed to constantly being prepared to run, and my adrenaline was always churning through my body as we had weaved in and out of various worlds, so hearing Daphne's panicked cry had triggered this response; I had quickly learned that a fight-or-flight response was essential in this multiverse. Luckily, I had reacted needlessly this time; as I looked, I saw Daphne framed in the threshold of the box's doorway, peering at the scene before her, her eyes wide and frantic as she searched, presumably, for me. When our eyes locked, her face visibly relaxed and softened, and I saw her eyes well up with tears. As she walked towards me briskly, I felt a pang of guilt; she had probably woken up in the dark, cold box, noticed that I wasn't around, and then began to panic once she realized the door was ajar.

I rose from my spot on the log and spread my arms open so that she collapsed into my embrace, and I kissed the top of her head. I could feel her heart pounding against my chest, and I murmured into her hair, "Hey, sweetheart. Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to see what kind of world we were up against while you were sleeping, and I guess I kind of got lost in my thoughts out here."

Daphne smiled slightly, indicating that she understood, but the smile was creased with worry, and she said nothing. She pulled away from me tentatively, drawing back so she could scrutinize my face. I knew Daphne was probably trying to discern whether or not I was okay after my recent emotional breakdown, but I couldn't help but feel like an object being analyzed beneath a microscope. I saw her lean in close and study my ear, the same one that had been shot during our run in the previous world.

I grimaced as she gently rubbed my ear, tenderly touching the spot that had been shot. "Is it that bad?" I asked, apprehensive of the answer, but curious to finally know.

Daphne shook her head. "No, it really isn't bad at all, actually. It looks like a bullet just cut off the top layer of skin, so I don't think you even lost part of your earlobe or anything. If we have a chance later, I'll clean it up for you and see what I can do about stitching it. We're lucky; it could have been worse."

I knew she was right, but I couldn't help but grunt sarcastically in response. "That's so fucked-up that our threshold for what we consider 'lucky' is now in the realm of taking a bullet to the ear," I said bitterly. "I mean, in hindsight, you're not wrong; I know we were almost killed back there. It's just crazy how last week we were mostly normal people who loved solving mysteries, and in the span of just a few days, we've been shot at multiple times, seen crazy versions of ourselves, and witnessed other things we didn't even realize existed."

Daphne's lips were set in a firm line at my response, and she knit her eyebrows together as she studied me some more. I plopped back down onto the log, sitting straight and tilting my head toward the sun again, and Daphne sat beside me, reaching over to lace her hand through mine. Her thumb traced small, delicate circles against my hand, and I felt my muscles uncoil and relax.

"Freddy, are you okay?" Daphne asked, her voice tinged with concern. "I was worried about you after what happened back there, in that previous world. Do you need to talk about anything?"

For a second, I considered telling her everything; I considered confessing that we were stuck in this sprawling, infinite hallway because of my greed, because I hadn't appreciated everything back home when I had realized that she and the rest of the gang were more successful without me, and when Velma had unveiled the box, I had dared to think it was possible to find myself in a world where my future was just as promising as everyone else's. Well, now I had certainly obtained my wish to explore a world where I was more successful, but I had opened Pandora's Box, and now it looked as though I had dragged Daphne with me, too. How would she ever forgive me if she knew all of this? She wouldn't forgive me, not that I would blame her of course, and I couldn't risk losing her.

I forced a smile as I met her eyes while I replied, "Yea Daph, I'm totally fine. I think seeing all of that just really got to me, and I didn't really know how to process everything."

Daphne nodded, a distant look in her eyes, and I could tell that she was reflecting on everything we had seen over the past few days. "It's understandable," she said gently. "We've seen things the human brain isn't equipped to comprehend. I'm just worried about the toll this is taking on your emotional and mental health. Will you be okay to continue? Maybe we should pick a world and consider some other plan, or just take some time to rest up for a bit. I don't know much about this one, but so far, it seems safe enough."

For half a second I considered her offer, but as I surveyed the expansive scene of trees and pine-needles scattered on the mossy grass around us, I had to admit that as serene as this was, sitting here tugged at my heart strings in a nostalgic, sweet way, and I craved the desire to be at home, our real home, even more. "This place is beautiful," I admitted. "And I'm happy that nothing has tried to kill us since we've been here. But it isn't our home, and I don't want to stop moving until we get back. Besides, I'm worried that the longer we stay away, the more damage the multiverse Fred and Daphne who captured us will cause to our regular world. Who knows what they're up to right now? We certainly know they're capable of kidnapping people at gun-point, and ripping away everything we know and love. I know their Velma said it seems as though they just wanted our life, so our friends and family are reasonably safe, but will that last long? What if, for some reason, they change their minds and decide to do something dangerous?"

Daphne's forehead furrowed together, and she looked pensive as she considered everything I said. "That may all be true, Freddy, but we still need to consider our emotional stability, too. We can't get back home if we drain our energy and don't take care of ourselves. I guess I'm especially worried since we made it through that last world. The multiverse Velma told us that each world is a projection of our feelings and thoughts, and one of us dragged tons of negative energy through that door to evoke that kind of reality."

As was the case earlier, Daphne's remarks grated against my skin, pricking at my nerves like a thousand tiny needles. Logically, there was a part of me that knew she wasn't trying to make me feel even more guilty, nor was she attempting to insinuate I was somehow weak or emotionally damaged beyond reproach, but I knew deep down that this was the truth; after all, why else were we continuously dragging ourselves through world after world of messed up shit?

"I promise you, Daphne, I am totally fine!" I said in what I hoped was a cheerful, upbeat manner, beaming at her for good measure, too. But Daphne just cut her eyes into narrow slits as she regarded me, so I added, "Don't you believe me?"

Daphne didn't answer immediately, and I wished I had never vocalized the question now, but it was too late, and it hovered there awkwardly in the air between us. Quickly, I said, "You know what, it doesn't even matter, because it's the truth. I know it seemed like I wasn't doing so hot back there, but that was just a fluke. Come on, we better get going."

I stood to leave and began to trace our steps back towards the box, and I could feel her eyes drilling into the back of my head as I moved. As she walked a few paces behind me, I heard her utter softly, "You know that there is no shame in admitting that you're scared, right?"

In that instant, it felt as though someone else had stepped into my body and was controlling and moving my limbs. I spun on my heels to face Daphne. I could feel my face burning, so I assumed my cheeks had to be flushed, and my emotions were so keyed-up that I could feel my eyes twitching and feel my heart rate pulsating behind my ribcage. Daphne looked startled at my appearance and my sudden response, and a wave of guilt flooded through me, but it wasn't enough, because still I replied, "I've said this before, and I'll say it again; I promise you, I'm _not _emotionally wrecked, and nothing is wrong with me. It's always been my job to guide the gang through mysteries and crazy shit before, and I've never wavered in the past, right? Well, it's not going to happen this time, either."

Daphne crossed her arms over her chest and stood defensively, and I hated myself for reigniting whatever tension had been cackling between over the past day or so. "Freddy, I am _not_ trying to imply that something is wrong with you as we're working throughout the multiverse," she retorted. "But you have to see it from my perspective; we keep opening doors that take us to all these crazy places, and I think the box is picking up on both of our subconscious, which is just showing how everything is wearing and tearing on us. It's _normal_ to feel worn down and upset, and there is no shame in admitting that! I don't want you to feel like you can't open up to me and tell me what's bothering you."

I knew she was being genuine and open with her offer, and I knew that it was probably beneficial just to be honest with her and confide in her; I knew I should just crumble to the pine-covered ground, right then and there, and confess that my selfishness and greed had gotten us sucked into the multiverse. I could tell Daphne that I was a shitty leader, which wasn't anything I hadn't confessed to before, but I knew she was only going to deny it fervently when I knew it was the truth. I knew that, again, this was my time to rise and step up as the leader, to mute my emotions and thoughts, and to propel us forward, because I'm Fred Jones, and that's what I do every time Mystery Inc., needs me. And that meant now wasn't the time to succumb to my emotions and to allow them to devour me whole.

I didn't say any of this to Daphne though; I said nothing as I stared at her, blinking as we maintained eye contact, each of us daring the other person to back down first. Around us, birds had begun to chirp and sing out softly, oblivious to the tension snapping between us.

Daphne sighed, frustrated at my lack of a response, and said, "Freddy, I promise I'm not trying to be annoying – I'm just worried about you. You've seen a version of yourself that was bloodied in the hallway, the Crystal Cove Fred was broken over our relationship, and now we saw a world where you were sick and dying. How much more of this can you take before you have a complete breakdown? It's not that far off from your current mental state."

"Daphne, I promise you, I'm fine," I said, trying to keep my voice even-keeled and level so that I sounded rational. "Now let's get going – I don't think there's anything more that can be said about this now."

I turned away from her again and started walking towards the box. By now, the mist suspended above the pine sprinkled ground had dissipated, and I could see my feet as I moved through the grass. I focused on my shoes as I walked so that I didn't dwell on whatever had just transpired between Daphne and me, because when I realized that her and I had a few disagreements regarding this same issue over the past few days, the muscles in my stomach tensed, and my heart fluttered. As I listened to the sound of Daphne's shoes crunching through the grass behind me, I couldn't evade just one thought –

_What if, in addition to keeping us from our home world, the multiverse was the one thing that severed me and Daphne's relationship – __possibly forever?_


	15. Chapter 15

**Author Note: **Hey guys! I know I just uploaded something the other day, but oh my gosh, I had so much fun writing this chapter that I wanted to pound it all out and share it with you guys immediately! Thanks again for reading and following and reviewing, as it's appreciated as always! I hope you enjoy this latest installment! - iamacliche

* * *

**Chapter 15**

As the door slammed shut behind Daphne, resounding with a resolute bang throughout the gunmetal colored box, I silently handed her a vial. She said nothing, taking it from my outstretched hand, and downed the drug in one swift gulp. Quickly, I unsnapped the lid of a vial and did the same, recoiling at the now familiar bitter taste of the liquid burning as it slid down my throat. By now we were so accustomed to the drug that we didn't stagger or lose consciousness as the box expanded into an endless corridor, and a second later we were moving quietly down the hallway, attempting to navigate the box and its infinite array of worlds once more.

Daphne and I hadn't said a word to each other since we left the previous world with its tranquil evergreens and chirping birds, and I didn't know what to say to diffuse the awkward silence expanding between us. There was a part of me that was kicking myself over being so stubborn, knowing that my stubbornness and refusal to open up to her was a major reason, if not _the_ reason, as to why her and I were going through our first real argument as a couple. I opened my mouth, hoping that whatever would tumble out of my mouth would splinter this heavy conflict wedged between us, when Daphne suddenly grasped my arm and pointed a shaking hand at the ground. When I saw the torn and bloodied fabric from an orange ascot curled before us, my stomach lurched.

"It's another sign of yet another version of me, or maybe both of us, trapped inside the multiverse like we are," I breathed.

"And just like the bloodied version we last saw of you, this one looks like maybe he isn't doing any better," Daphne murmured, her nails digging into my arm as she shuddered. "It makes me wonder if he, or they, have gone through the same doors as us, or if they chose different ones."

"The multiverse is so wide, literally infinite, that I would bet that he, or them, have mostly gone through different doors," I speculated. "But who knows – as Velma said, the box generates moments that stem from almost every point in our lives, so the variety is endless. This could be from anywhere."

"Do you think he's okay?" Daphne asked, nodding towards the ascot to indicate she was talking about this most recent development.

"Who knows?" I said, shrugging. "But if we run into him at some point, I guess we'll find out."

We stepped around the ascot delicately, as if touching it or standing too close would somehow contaminate or dirty us, and we retreated away from it, moving further down the hallway. As disturbing as the sight had been, the tattered ascot had diffused the silence between us, at least for now. Not wanting to lose the momentum nor acknowledge what was happening between us, I remarked, "Okay, we should open a door soon. We started with forty vials, and we've visited four different worlds together. So far, we've used eight vials total, so we have fifteen more chances between the two of us to get this right."

Daphne nodded, and we drifted towards a random door a few feet further down the hallway. I reached my hand towards the door knob, but Daphne intercepted me, placing her palm on the knob.

"I don't want to start another disagreement," she said tentatively. "But maybe I should try opening this one, Freddy. You said yourself we only have fifteen more chances to get this right between us, so we have to start varying the way we do things, because we can't expect to get a different result by doing the same thing over and over again."

I opened my mouth, ready to retort, but stopped myself, knowing that, at the very least, it couldn't hurt to try having Daphne open the door this time. As nonchalantly as possible, I shrugged, and nodded towards the door. "Be my guest, then," I said, lowering my hand from the door.

Daphne flinched, surprised; she was obviously not expecting me to respond that way, but she quickly righted herself and gripped the door knob, wrenching the door open in one yank. She hesitated and looked to me, as if asking permission to step through the door, and I smiled as confidently as I could, gently nudging her through the threshold as I moved behind her.

The box had connected us to another Coolsville, which was clear from the sign that exclaimed, "WELCOME TO COOLSVILLE" and the familiar markings of the street signs and buildings around us, but whether or not it was our Coolsville was debatable. The sky was a clear, crisp blue, and the birds were singing and the sun was shining, and as far as I could tell, there was no immediate threat. The box had deposited us on the outskirts of town, so we quietly ambled down the sidewalk and entered Coolsville, our eyes raking our surroundings cautiously. I gazed at the sidewalks and the streets, noting some distantly familiar faces, like classmates from school that I knew by name, or the faces of Shaggy or Velma's neighbors, so there was a strong possibility that this was our home. But yet, I couldn't shake the spine-tingling sensation that this was close, but still not quite right.

I turned to Daphne to gauge her reaction. Her eyes were wide and her lips were pursed, and I knew that she was skeptical, too. As if I had read her mind, she said, "I feel like this is definitely a close version of our home, but it still doesn't feel right."

"I guess there's only one way to find out," I said. "We need to try and find Shaggy and Scooby and Velma before we confront our own families or go to our own house. If this is the right Coolsville, we don't want to come face-to-face with those jerks who kidnapped us on our own, and if this is the wrong Coolsville, then we'll just upset whatever version of ourselves lives in this world, and I would like to cause as little of a ripple effect as possible as we move through all these different places."

Daphne nodded grimly, and added, her voice leaden, "The fewer people we traumatize, the better, right? So, who do we try and seek out first then?"

"I think we're closest to Shaggy's house from here," I said. "Let's go over there and just pay him a visit. But first, I think we should change our clothes; it's really obvious we've been through hell, and I don't want to tip anyone off."

It was true; Daphne and I were still wearing the stained and torn clothes from the diseased world, and being chased and shot at hadn't done either of us any favors in terms of appearance. Daphne smirked and said, "Yeah, you're right. I never thought I would say this, but let's raid the local thrift store and buy some clothes. We only have enough cash in our backpack for a few necessities, so we better make it count."

An hour later, Daphne and I were emerging from Coolsville's thrift store, each of us wearing an entirely new outfit after tossing the tattered and ripped clothing we had been wearing earlier. For the first time in days, I felt clean and refreshed in my jeans and my "new to me" plaid button-down, which I had been fortunate enough to find in blue and white, my favorite colors. Daphne had initially gravitated towards the skirts and dresses in the store, but knowing that we could still be facing a multitude of dangerous worlds if this Coolsville failed us, she opted for jeans too, mindful of the fact that it would be wise to protect her exposed legs going forward, in case we stumbled across worlds with more inclement weather like the first one. Fortunately for her, the particular pair of jeans she found happened to be in her favorite shade of purple, and she squealed with happiness when she saw the pants were "jegging" material – whatever that was, anyway. She completed the outfit with a crisp white shirt, and somehow, she miraculously managed to dig up a pink leather jacket to match. She even found a forest green colored knot wrap tucked at the bottom of a bin of scarves, and she had tied that around her neck so that it resembled the ascot she would typically wear.

As we strutted down the streets towards Shaggy's house, it was evident that our spirits were raised simply from feeling freshened up in our change of clothes, and for the first time in a while, the atmosphere between us felt lighter and more playful; Daphne winked friskily at me as she slipped her hand in mine and said, "You pull off the plaid nice, Freddy."

I felt my cheeks blush in spite of myself, and for the first time in a while, my smile felt genuine and open and relaxed. I squeezed her hand and winked back, saying, "Thanks – you look pretty nice, yourself."

Daphne beamed. "Thanks for noticing – I call this latest trend 'The Multiverse Look.' This style is really versatile because it looks great no matter what universe you're in!"

Daphne's wit and humor caught me off guard, and I threw my head back in laughter, feeling my heart expand in my chest as my laughter bounced off the buildings we passed. Daphne grinned, her smile wide, clearly pleased she had triggered such a positive response to her joke. She looked so beautiful in that moment that I couldn't help but lean over and kiss her on the cheek as we walked, and as we moved down the street together, walking and laughing and talking and holding hands, to anyone passing us, we probably looked like a regular couple strolling through the streets in the middle of the afternoon, basking in our time together and enjoying this rush of young love. But they would only see what was visible on the surface; no one would have a clue as to all that we had endured over the past few days, nor would they know that this was the lightest and most relaxed we had been towards each other over the past few hours.

When we neared Shaggy's street, our walk became reduced, as if we were both afraid of the answer that awaited us once we knocked on Shaggy's front door. The lively banter between Daphne and I came to a screeching halt, and I could feel sweat beading on my forehead. When we were finally standing outside the white picket fence that circled around Shaggy's house, we paused, and turned to face each other. The heads of bright, cheerful marigolds dotted the garden alongside the side of the house, which so far was indicative of Mrs. Rogers' green thumb, but other than that, it was hard to say for certain whether or not this was the universe we wanted on this fact alone.

Daphne's eyes sparkled with fear, so I gave her hand a firm squeeze and smiled in an attempt to reassure her. "So far, everything checks out, so let's try to stay positive!" I said, as upbeat as possible. "Come on, let's knock on the door and ask to see if Shaggy is here. When he answers, we'll go from there in determining whether or not this is our world."

Daphne nodded once, and she allowed me to guide her up the pavement leading towards Shaggy's front door. The driveway was partially paved with cobblestones, which was again a good sign, as this was a recent renovation undertaken by Shaggy's parents just last year; it was a gift from Shaggy's dad to his mom, who had expressed the desire to update their home for a long time. I rose my eyebrows and smiled at Daphne, my eyes darting towards the cobblestones, as if to say, "See? Nothing to worry about!" She attempted to return the smile, but I could see her grin was burdened with anxiety. A second later we were standing on Shaggy's front porch, and without giving either of us a chance to change our minds, I reached forward and knocked on the door loudly, three times in a rapid succession.

Instantly, I could hear footsteps pounding on the other side of the door. I could hear Daphne inhale sharply beside me, and I couldn't help but gulp in anxiety, too. "Well, here goes nothing," I thought, as I heard the footsteps coming closer to the door.

As the lock clicked back and the door slowly opened, my knees felt weak and a prickling sensation trailed down my spine as I stared at the man before us, who clearly wasn't Shaggy, nor Mr. Rogers. The man looked to be middle aged, maybe a few years older than Mr. Rogers, and he was balding, with salt-and-pepper colored hair, and visible crow's feet lines were etched around his eyes. His face was wrinkled, as if stress was permanently steeped beneath his facial features, and his brown eyes lacked a spark that was present in most good-natured people, which immediately gave him a no-nonsense air. He was wearing what appeared to be work clothes; his black blazer looked sharp, as if it had been ironed just a few minutes ago, and his black pants didn't contain a single wrinkle. I could feel Daphne tense up beside me, and I knew that she too was trying to process the disappointment of realizing that we had never seen this man before back home in Coolsville. And as the man stared at me and Daphne standing on his front porch, his eyes cut into narrow slits; he didn't look particularly thrilled to see us, either.

"What do you two kids want from me?" The man barked, his voice deep and brusque.

Before I could lose my resolve, I plunged into my response. "Hello, sir. We're looking for our friend, Shaggy Rogers," I said quickly, trying to sound as polite as possible, but I felt myself squirm beneath the man's glare; he was eyeing me as though he was scrutinizing my every move carefully, as though he was going to be tested on the way I behaved at a later date. "You see, our friend lives here, or at least, it looks like he used to live here, and we were hoping to find him so that we could talk to him."

The man eyed us without saying anything for a minute, and I could feel Daphne shift uncomfortably beside me. He was gazing at us strangely, especially me, and I couldn't understand what we had done to incite this kind of reaction.

"I remember you," the man said gruffly, eyeing me. "You were just here a few hours ago, right after I got home from work, and you said the same thing you're telling me right now. And now you're back, only this time, you brought this girl with you. Is this some kind of joke? 'Cause I'm not the kind of guy who appreciates jokes after a long day of work."

Daphne and I flinched, shocked by the man's words. "I don't understand," I began, unsure of what he was saying. "I've never seen you before in my life! In fact, my friend Shaggy lives here, so I'm confused as to what you're doing here?"

The man chortled and shook his head, as if he was talking to an infant who was asking a lot of unnecessary questions. "Boy, you said the same exact thing earlier, too, and I already told you that I bought this house from your friend's family well over a year ago now! I don't have any idea where they moved, and frankly, even if I did, I wouldn't tell you anyway, because you're annoying as hell, turning up here and bothering me twice in one day! Now you two scram before I call the cops!"

My jaw dropped, shocked by the man's rude attitude, and I prepared myself to respond, but just then Daphne grasped my arm and offered the man an apologetic smile. "We're so sorry, sir; we didn't mean any harm, I promise! It's all my fault – I told my friend here that I didn't believe that our friend Shaggy was really gone, and I just wanted to see it for myself. We promise we won't bother you again!"

The man grunted once, and he turned and slammed the door in our faces without saying another word. Daphne looped her arm in mine and guided me down the driveway, and we scurried down the sidewalk quickly. In my peripheral vision, I could see the curtains from Shaggy's living room flick back as the man watched us leave.

"That was close," Daphne breathed once we were a few blocks away from Shaggy's house. "I thought that guy was going to call the cops right then and there on us!"

I shook my head, still incredulous as to what the man had said. "I don't understand it, Daph," I said. "What is going on here? First we have to deal with the fact that this isn't our Coolsville, because that's clearly not Shaggy's house anymore, and now we have to figure out what he meant when he said I asked to see Shaggy a few hours ago? That was the first time I've ever seen that guy!"

"I think I might have an idea," Daphne said, her voice low and solemn. She glanced around the street as she spoke. "Remember that ascot we saw in the hallway just before this world, and the bloody Fred we saw in the hallway the other day? Maybe there's a chance a version of a multiverse Fred was here in Coolsville, one that branched off from a recent moment in our past, and he's looking for the rest of the gang, too."

I felt a shiver snake down my spine as I considered Daphne's words. "I think you're right," I admitted. "This obviously isn't our world, so I imagine that whatever version of you and I that exist here already knows that Shaggy moved, so there's no need for either of us to try and look him up now. Plus, it's weird that the man said I was there without you earlier. If you're right, and that seems to be the case, why is it that the other versions of me are without you so often?"

Daphne blanched, and I immediately regretted asking. "You know what, it doesn't even matter," I said, reaching to take her hand. We began walking again, heading resolutely towards the box once more. "Let's just go back and try again."

Daphne yawned, and I stifled the urge to yawn, too. The sun was slinking behind the clouds above, causing the sky to melt into a burst of tangerines and citrus yellows. Somehow, it was already the conclusion of yet another day, and we still weren't any closer to finding our home.

"Hey Fred," Daphne said. "What would you say if I suggested that we stop at a hotel for the night? This version of Coolsville doesn't seem so horrible, and I think my back will hate me if I spend another night on that cold, hard floor in the box."

I considered her point as we walked, and noted how my back too was already screaming in agony at the thought of trying to sleep comfortably on the concrete ground in the box for the second night in a row; besides, Daphne had a point when she had mentioned that we needed to take a chance to recharge earlier, and now would be a good time to re-energize, both physically and emotionally, before drinking the drug so soon again.

"Okay," I relented, and Daphne smiled. "But we probably shouldn't stay here past tomorrow morning. After all, we have no idea if the other version of me is somewhere here, or the original versions of ourselves in this world, too. We don't want to stir up any suspicion."

The hotel we settled on was one on the opposite side of town from where we lived, so as not to arise any concern in case someone noticed us; Coolsville was decently sized, but it wasn't that large, and if our reputation was as significant as it was back home, then we were sure to be recognized at some point. Despite the fact that we had never stayed at the hotel in our home world, it was still recognizable, despite the fact that the neon sign advertising the hotel's name blazed red instead of neon green. As we stepped into the lobby and noted the quirky, 70's style aesthetic of the pale, doughy colored walls, and the tiny television mounted in the corner, it felt as though the hotel was frozen in time, but in a thousand significantly different ways.

Daphne and I pooled the cash we had remaining between the two of us for a room with a single queen sized bed, and luckily, the rate was so cheap, that we still had about a hundred dollars remaining. When I gave the woman behind the counter my name, she didn't bat an eye, revealing that she didn't recognize me or Daphne, which caused my suspicions to grow as to what kind of Coolsville we had landed in. The only time she gave us more than one glance over was when she stopped herself short after asking if we needed assistance with our bags, and quickly recovered when she noted that the only luggage between us was the two knapsacks slung upon our backs. After she dropped the key into my palm, she offered us a tight smile, the kind that translated to, "Help me, I'm tired of working this long, eight-hour shift," and said curtly, "Please enjoy your stay at Coolsville's White Cosmos Hotel!"

Daphne and I immediately took the elevator up to our room, which was on the second floor. When the elevator slid open and we stepped out into the hallway, we passed a computer room, with a sign that read, "FOR HOTEL GUESTS ONLY." Our room was just a few doors down from the computer room, and once we let ourselves in with the key, Daphne pulled open the blinds, eyeing the view of the street below, which was congested with cars and people. It was too late to be rush hour traffic, so I presumed that it must have been a weekend evening, like Friday or Saturday night.

I dropped my backpack on the ground and plopped onto the back, lying on my back to stare at the cracks in the plastered ceiling. Any other time, Daphne and I would have balked at this dated room that reeked of cleaning product, which failed to cover up the stench of mildew, but after drifting aimlessly through the multiverse and spending the night on the concrete ground inside the box, this felt like a luxury.

Daphne let her jacket fall to the ground and glanced towards the bathroom. "Are you hungry? I'm starving, but to be honest, that bathtub is calling my name, and after the past few days we've had, nothing is calling to me more than a nice, refreshing bath!"

I smiled. "Be my guest. After you're done, we can go to the bar down the street from here. I've only been there once when we were back home, but they had really good apps, so we can always get a bunch of smaller dishes for dinner; I think we deserve it."

Daphne padded off towards the bathroom, and I heard the squeak of the shower head turning, followed by the gushing of water as it collected inside the porcelain tub. I was still resting on my back, and just as I could feel the familiar stirrings of sleep riding in over a tide, I heard Daphne call out, "Oh my God Freddy, you have to take a bath later, too! This is probably the single greatest bath I have ever indulged in in my entire life!"

I grinned at Daphne's enthusiasm, and in spite of myself, I was amazed at how little, ordinary aspects of life were beginning to feel more wondrous to us; I was realizing, too late, just how important it was not to take anything in my life for granted. Then I suddenly remembered the computer room that was located just a few doors down from us, and my eyelids flapped open, and I felt wide-awake and alert as an idea took root and bloomed in my mind.

"Hey Daph," I called out. "I'm just going to step out for a few minutes, okay? I'll be right back!"

I heard water sloshing from behind the closed door of the bathroom, and Daphne responded to indicate she had heard me, but the reply was muffled beneath the sound of the bathroom fan. I grabbed the hotel key off the desktop that stood beside the bed and walked determinedly to the computer room.

Even though it didn't matter in the grand scheme of things, since this clearly wasn't our Coolsville, what I wanted to do was research what had become of the rest of the gang in this world. My curiosity had spiked even more since the woman at the front desk didn't react to seeing me nor Daphne, and I desperately needed to satiate this desire to find more answers about the gang here, especially since we had already known that Shaggy no longer lived in Coolsville. As I slid in front of a computer inside the tiny room, my fingers flew across the keyboard, and I started by first plugging my name in the search engine, then sat back, bringing my fingers together into a steeple as I waited in anticipation for the results to load, my palms sweaty and my heart racing.

Immediately, there was a hit in the yellow pages, and the address listed for me and my parents was that of Orlando, Florida. A shiver ran down my spine; I had told Daphne this before, but when I was young, my parents had considered moving us to Florida, when my dad's job relocated there, before we ultimately decided that Coolsville was our home. Did we make that opposite decision in this world? If that was the case, then did the gang even met in this multiverse? And if we hadn't met, were there just as many mysteries here? If so, who was taking care of the business we usually dealt with back home?

I pulled up another search engine, this time trying a search that read, "Mystery Inc.," but there were no hits returned. So, that was my answer, then; the gang and I truly had never met, which explained how we had made it through this Coolsville without being recognized. My chest tightened, and something felt empty and hollow inside of me, as though there was an essential organ missing from my body. I shook my head, trying to remind myself that this was, again, the product of only one outcome in this multiverse, and that this wasn't our real home. I knew that now would probably be a wise time to step away from the computer and return back to our hotel room, but I was already in too deep, and I wanted to know what had become of Velma and Daphne here. When I typed Velma's full legal name in the search bar, I wasn't surprised by the headlines that pinged onto the screen. Each news article advertised Velma as the "local teenage genius" who was already interning for NASA, in spite of her tender young age of seventeen, and various colleges boasted of pursuing her for their school. I smiled, impressed again with the way Velma was consistently impressive, no matter which world we stumbled upon.

I was feeling a little more content than when I had started; while it was devastating to see that the gang had never met, it felt nice to imagine that maybe we all had satisfying lives doing something else, although even that pricked at my heart a bit. I typed out Daphne's full name, wanting this one final answer from this world, and when I read the first news headline that responded to my search, my heart stopped and my breathing was staggered, as if all the air had deflated from my lungs.

The headline read, "Young girl, Daphne Blake, died in devastating car crash. Parents and family crushed." I could feel beads of sweat marching down my back as I clicked the link, and my eyes scrolled through the article, skimming for details as to how this could happen, but the words drifted over me like water in a stream skimming over the pebbles collected beneath the surface. I glanced at the date, and felt my heart sink when I saw that the article was dated from only two months ago. I gulped, feeling the tears well up behind my eyes as I powered the computer off and walked back to our room, letting myself in with the key.

The sound of a laugh track cackling over the antics of Sheldon Cooper on _The Big Bang Theory _greeted me as I walked into the room, and I saw Daphne stretched out on the bed, reclining against the headboard, wearing the same clothes we had purchased together at the thrift store earlier. Her red hair was shiny and wet, but it had obviously been combed out, and it fell in relaxed waves around her shoulders, framing her pretty, delicate face. When she saw me standing there, the smile on her face dropped, and she aimed the remote control at the television, muting the show.

"Hey Freddy," she said, her voice laced with concern. "What's going on? Is everything okay? You look so pale – what happened? And where did you go for the last twenty minutes?"

As I stared at Daphne, I made a quick decision to conceal the fact that she had died in this world; things between us may have been less than ideal lately, but I would always be hard-wired to protect that girl until the day I died. But I knew that I wasn't going to get away with lying about my entire internet search, so I sighed, and admitted, "I was just at the computer room, a few doors down. I saw it on our way up here, and I had the idea of seeing what happened to us here."

Daphne blinked and raised an eyebrow, and I waited for her to scold me for investigating, but she didn't say anything, so I continued; "We didn't even meet here in this world. That's why no one has recognized us this entire time. Shaggy moved, and I'm listed in the yellow pages as living with my parents in Orlando."

I saw Daphne's face pale by several shades. "So your dad took that job in this world?" she asked quietly.  
"It looks to be the case," I nodded grimly.

"What happened to me in this world?" she asked, almost eagerly. "Did you check? If you didn't, maybe I'll go look before we head out to dinner!" She began rising from the bed, switching the television off altogether, and I moved towards the door, spreading my arms wide to block her path.

"NO!" I yelled adamantly, and she jumped, startled. I tried again, lowering my voice and attempting to appear as calm as possible. "I mean, no, don't bother. I did search for your name, but you're just a regular girl living here in Coolsville. At least this world isn't out of the ordinary for all of us, I mean, aside from all of us not meeting…"

As my voice trailed off, Daphne looked as though a question was forming, and her mouth opened, but she stopped, and instead stepped towards me, pulling me in for a hug. "Let's say we go out to dinner at that bar you were talking about now?" she asked, and I smiled into her hair, inhaling the scent of apricots and strawberry shampoo, squeezing her harder than I ever had before, and trying to stop the tears from welling up behind my eyes as I nodded in response.

* * *

When we stepped outside the entrance to The White Cosmos Hotel, we were greeted by a light rain. Daphne draped her jacket over her head, just as she always did when we were caught in the rain without an umbrella, and as I always did in response to her attempt to stay dry, I laughed. We sprinted down the street to the bar, bursting through the door to see a crowd of people dispersed around the lobby. Even though we were underage, Daphne and I stalked the bar until a pair of stools opened up; this bar was rumored not to ID minors, and we had never called the restaurant on its bluff before, especially since we weren't typically drinkers, but the rumors were apparently true back home and here, because when we ordered a glass of wine, the baby-faced waiter didn't even bat an eye, nor bother checking for our ID's, which was good because we had lost them when we were abducted back home. We ordered three plates of mozzarella sticks and downed our glasses of wine, and I marveled at how powerful the alcohol made me feel as it warmed my bones and flushed my cheeks. The waiter brought another round of drinks, and Daphne and I caught a glow off the alcohol, and we talked light-heartedly, our conversation fueled by the booze and the enjoyment we felt just by simply being in this moment here, together. We talked about everything, from how delicious the food tasted to how amazing it felt to be inside and warm, and Daphne cracked another joke about our multiverse fashion choices. The only thing we refrained from talking about was the box and the multiverse, which was a welcome relief. For an hour, I allowed myself to pretend that it was just a regular date night, like the many we had back home, and for that stretch of time, everything felt perfect as we talked and I stared at Daphne's smile and listened to her musical laugh, twinkling like a xylophone, easily the prettiest, purest sound inside the entire dingy dive bar.

After we had consumed four plates of appetizers and two full drinks each, Daphne rose from the bar, announcing that she had to use the restroom really quickly. "Don't go anywhere, okay?" she said, as if I was planning to take off the second she was out of my sight.

I laughed, and smirked at her, "Don't worry, Daph, you know I wouldn't go anywhere, but you better hurry; I'm going to eat the rest of these mozz sticks while you're gone!" I winked at her to show that I was kidding, but I picked up another mozzarella stick and devoured it ravenously. We both laughed, a little too hard and a little too loud, but after everything we had been through, we needed this.

"Okay, okay!" Daphne said, still laughing. "I'll be right back!" I watched her weave in and out of tables and chairs as she walked towards the bathroom, and even though she had seemed more assured that I wasn't moving from my spot, I saw her glance back three separate times to mark that I was still sitting at the bar. Finally, Daphne disappeared around the corner, and as I sat alone, I gazed around at the bar, observing all the customers talking animatedly with their family and friends and all the waiters hustling from table to table, balancing trays of food delicately on their palms. Normally, people watching is a fun pass-time of mine, and sometimes when Daphne and I are out on a date, we even invent fun stories about the people around us, laughing and giggling ourselves silly over the ridiculous stories we contrive. Tonight, though, the ordinariness of everything was almost too much to endure, and the sound of the crowd around me felt almost oppressive as dozens of noisy, meaningless conversations mixed into a meaningless roar in my ears. I studied the faces of the people laughing and talking and smiling, and I thought, "What if you all knew what I know about the world? What if you people saw even half the shit that I've had to see over the past few days?"

As I continued to wait for Daphne and observe the crowd, I heard a bell chime as the door the bar swung open. A second later, my spine began tingling, and a cold feeling washed over me; I felt as though someone was watching me from behind. Slowly, I turned around, the adrenaline already coursing through my veins, and when I saw a version of myself dressed exactly as I was, wearing blue jeans and a similar colored plaid shirt, my breath hitched in my throat. The other Fred jumped, perhaps equally as surprised as me, but he raised both arms in a show of deference. Immediately, he crossed the bar and climbed onto the empty stool beside me, the same spot Daphne had occupied just a few moments ago. His hair was soaked from the rain outside, and he wiped his hands on his jeans before offering his hand to me.

"I would introduce myself formally," he said solemnly. "But I think we're fairly familiar with each other by now."

I swallowed the lump that had formed inside my throat and nodded briskly. "Right, of course," I said, shaking his outstretched hand with a firm pump. The baby-faced waiter who had been waiting on me and Daphne returned, looking just as exhausted and unamused as he had earlier. He looked us over with a faint curiosity, as if he considered inquiring about our relation, but then the bored expression returned to his face, and all he asked this new arrival was, "What can I get for you?"

"I'll just have whatever my brother here is having," the other Fred replied. The waiter walked away, and a minute later he returned with two glasses of burgundy colored wine, placing one in front of both of us before moving on to the customers seated at the end of the bar.

For a moment, Fred and I stared at each other, but then the other Fred lifted his glass towards me, and I clinked my wine against his, returning the toast. I watched as the other Fred drank his wine, his eyes sparkling with amusement, and I couldn't help but grin in spite of the odd situation. I felt my heart rate reduce as I calmed down; so far, this Fred seemed harmless. In fact, there was something about him that made me feel sorry for him. He looked strong, but also incredibly tired, damaged, and afraid, and I couldn't help but flinch, wondering if this man was a mirror image of me, right down to the raw emotions displayed on his face and his rugged appearance. If this was what Daphne saw when she was so concerned for me the other day, then I definitely couldn't blame her for begging me to open up to her, and I felt a wave of guilt crash over me when I recalled how I had brushed her off so readily.

As we drank, I finally opened my mouth, and said, "So, when did you get –" but at the same exact moment, the other Fred also began, "So, when did you get –"

We both grinned at each other, our smiles as goofy as two toddlers who were creating mischief together.

"You go first," I nodded towards the other Fred.

"I just got here this morning," he replied. "I meant to leave as soon as I figured out this wasn't my world, but I got kind of sidetracked, and now here I am. How about you? You been here long?"

"Probably just a few hours less than you," I responded. "In fact, I gotta ask you something; did you go to Shaggy's house earlier today?"

The other Fred nodded as he raised an eyebrow. "I did, actually. I was hoping to find the rest of the gang, and I figured I would start with him first. How did you know that?"

I laughed as the pieces began to fall into place. "It makes more sense now then!" I exclaimed. "Daphne and I went there earlier, too, and the old guy who lived there totally blew up at us! It was crazy; I didn't expect a stranger to lose it on me so badly, but he said I had been by earlier, and he threatened to call the cops."

When I said Daphne's name, the other Fred's eyes widened to the size of golf balls, and I could tell he didn't hear the rest of what I had to say. "Did you just say you're with Daphne?!" the other Fred gasped.

I paused, feeling as though something had changed in our exchange, but not entirely sure of what it was that had shifted. "Yeah, she's here," I confessed. "She went to the bathroom just a few minutes ago, but she should be back any second now. Don't you have a version of her with you too though?"

His eyes went distant for a long moment, and he took a pull of his wine.

"I lost her," he finally responded tersely. "In one of the worlds. We stumbled across this world made of ice, and she froze to death. I tried saving her – I really did. But I lost track of this house in the blinding snow, and by the time I finally found the box, it was too late…"

As his voice trailed off, I didn't know what to say to comfort this version of me, and I simultaneously felt a pang of loss like a small detonation in my gut at hearing his story. "I'm sorry," was all I finally managed. "I can't imagine the pain you're feeling."

As he sat there silently, his head bowed as he drowned in his thoughts and emotions, it struck me that this man and I were the exact same up until as recently as a couple days ago; we shared the same love, the same family members, the same friends, and the same passion for solving mysteries. It felt like talking to a close, intimate friend who knew everything about me, but there was an added layer of familiarity. Perhaps the only, and definitely the widest, chasm between us was that whereas I was fortunate enough to keep Daphne alive thus far, this version of myself was forced to confront his greatest fear in watching her die within the multiverse.

A minute later the other Fred's head snapped up, and I noted that his eyes were now darker, almost more sinister, but then the look winked out, just as quickly as it was ignited there. "Perhaps I should warn you," he said, his eyes darting around the bar as though someone was listening to our conversation. "I've only met a couple other versions of us so far because the box is so fatal, but you seem cool, so I'll let you in on a little secret. The other versions of us aren't so friendly, so you might want to keep Daphne close to your side after you leave this bar."

I felt the hairs on my arms rise as goosebumps slithered across my flesh. "What do you mean?"

"The other versions of Fred that I've met so far have all lost her, too," he said, his voice steady. "And they're all desperate to get her back and go back home. You've probably figured this out by now, but even though we're all pretty similar, none of us are the exact same. And some of us are pretty desperate, and would do pretty desperate things to get her back."

I was leaning forward, hanging off every word he was saying, shivering as though the bar had turned the air conditioner on full blast. "Like what?! What will they do to win her back?" I demanded, my skin prickling with sweat.

"Dangerous, dramatic things," he replied gravely. "So just be on the look-out. You'll know immediately, because the other version will probably try attacking you. But you don't have to worry about me; I wouldn't try and take her from you and traumatize you like that. After all, I still care about her immensely, and I think that would be pretty selfish."

I felt my heart swell towards this Fred, and I clapped my hand on his back. "Wow, thanks man. I really appreciate the advice. Tell ya what, we don't have much cash, but this is all on me, so don't worry about paying me back – I owe ya one!"

The other Fred grinned, but it looked as though he was holding something back.

"What?" I asked. "What is it?!"

"Let's be honest here," he said. "You and I share identical thoughts, and we were even finishing each other's sentences when we first met. If you're anything like me, then you're struggling with the fact that Daphne can do way better, aren't you?"

I felt my heart thump behind my ribcage.

"I'll take that look you're giving me as a 'yes,'" the other Fred replied. "Honestly, it's amazing how similar we are, man. I think you're the most similar version of me that I've met so far. But you obviously still have her beside you, so tell me – how did you figure it out? How did you manage to trick her into believing that we aren't a screw-up, and how did you manage to hide the fact that she's better off navigating this whole damned thing without us nearly getting her killed?"

I swallowed hard, trying to push past the lump that had formed in my throat again. The other Fred sneered at me.

"Does she know yet that you guys are here because of you?" he asked quietly, leaning forward so I wouldn't miss a single world of what he said. "Did you tell her yet that you wished you could explore this place when Velma unveiled the box that day in Coolsville?"

I shuddered; it was terrifying how well this stranger knew me, and I had to remind myself that he had access to every bad thing I had ever done, every bad thought, because this man was _me. _How long did I think that I could outrun myself, both literally and metaphorically?

"Honestly, man," he continued. "I know what you're thinking and feeling right now, so trust me on this. Speaking from someone who's watched her die and was helpless to stop it, you might want to walk away from her right now. If you truly, truly care for her, and I can see that you're just as crazy about her as I am, you'll leave her tonight, and let her navigate the box by herself. Lord knows she's better at choosing worlds than you are, and I'm sure you've seen other versions of her where she is dating some other hot guy. I can confirm for you that there are worlds out there where Daphne is thriving just fine without us."

I said nothing as the alcohol made my head spin and caused my thoughts to swirl around in my mind. I could see my heart throbbing in front of me because I was so exhausted, emotionally and physically, and I could feel the guilt ebbing and flowing like the tide inside of me. Fred stood from the bar, his stool scraping loudly against the floor as he did so. He reached into his pocket and slapped a ten-dollar bill onto the bar. "I know you said you would cover me, but after all that advice I just offered you, I would say we're even," he said with a smile. "I'm leaving now, before Daphne gets back; I wouldn't want her to feel upset seeing us both sitting here. Just remember what I said; there's a few other guys out there that are ballsy enough to go after her, but if you leave her now, maybe then you can save both of your lives." He winked at me one final time, and as he started walking away, he turned back one final time.

"Hey, Fred?" He said, his voice carefree and light, as though he hadn't just shattered me with the reminder of my insecurities. "It's been awhile since your girl's been back, hasn't it? She's been gone like, what, twenty minutes now? You might want to go make sure someone didn't try and snatch her from the bathroom while we were talking just now." He smirked and sauntered away, and I felt my jaw drop as I stood from my seat so quickly that the stool clattered to the ground.

_Shit. Shit shit shit shit, shit._

I sprinted past tables and chairs and nearly knocked over a waitress carrying a tray of beers as I rushed to the women's bathroom. As I ran, I scanned the bar for Daphne, but I saw no trace of her, causing the panic to mount behind my chest.

Once I reached the entrance to the bathroom I stood outside, pacing manically, trying to determine how I would figure out if she was still in there. A minute later, a petite blonde strolled leisurely out of the bathroom, and I gripped her arm. She jumped in surprise and pulled away from me, probably creeped out by this random guy trying to grab her outside the bathroom, and I quickly retreated a few steps, holding my arms up to indicate that I meant no harm.

"I'm so sorry to bother you," I said in a rush. "But I'm looking for my girlfriend, and I haven't seen her in a while. She said she was using the restroom, and I'm worried for her; do you mind checking to see if she is still in there for me? Her name is Daphne."

The girl's facial features softened, but only a little, and she nodded silently, spinning to return back into the restroom. A minute later she re-emerged, and her eyebrows were knit together and her eyes were blazing, almost as if she was furious with me. "I don't know what you did to hurt her," she said. "But I knocked on the bathroom door, and if it's your girl, she's in there bawling her eyes out."

I felt my heart slam against my ribcage. "Shit," I muttered, my mind running through the endless possibilities of what could have upset Daphne. The girl who had checked on Daphne shook her head, uttered "Scum bag" as she watched me run into the restroom, and walked away.

Once I was inside the restroom, I saw a brunette eyeing herself in the mirror as she carefully applied a shade of fire engine red lipstick, and she screeched, "YOU SHOULDN'T BE IN HERE!" but I ignored her and honed in on the single bathroom stall that was shut. I pounded on the door and glared at the brunette, daring her to challenge me, but she just flipped me the bird and stalked out of the restroom. There was no response on the door, so I continued pounding my fist, calling, "DAPHNE! Daphne, are you there?! If it is, we need to get out of here, right now!"

I paused, listening carefully for a response, and I felt my heart sputter when I heard the unmistakable sound of Daphne crying from the other side of the stall.

"Daphne, talk to me," I begged. "What is bothering you? What is going on?"

Suddenly, the door flew open, and I was face-to-face with Daphne. Her face was red and blotchy from crying, and her mascara was streaking down her cheeks. She charged at me, flying at me so that I was forced to back up against the sinks on the opposite side of the bathroom. Her hands were balled into a fist at her side, and her arms were shaking.

My mouth dropped, and before I could muster a question, she spat, "You lied to me! You said that I was just a regular girl here, living a normal life, and I believed you!"

_Shit. _I felt my heart drop into my stomach.

"Imagine my surprise when I went to use the restroom a bit ago, and one of the girls from school here about passed out when she saw me!" Daphne continued screeching. "I had to convince her that I wasn't a ghost risen from the dead, and I told her that I was a cousin who looked exactly like me!"

She broke down sobbing again, and I moved towards her, but she stepped away from me as though she was repulsed by the mere sight of me. "Don't come near me!" she screamed. "Why the fuck would you lie about something like that, Fred?! I came out and asked you about what happened to me here, and you just decided to omit something like that?!"

"Hello?" A male voice echoed in the bathroom. Daphne and I both whipped our heads towards the entrance of the restroom. "This is the manager of the restaurant speaking. We've had some ladies report a male inside the women's restroom, and a few other customers have mentioned they can hear a woman crying from inside the stalls. Since this sounds like a domestic dispute, we're going to have to call the police!"

I turned to Daphne and attempted to grab her hand, but she wrenched herself away from my touch, and I felt myself recoil; this was worse than the fight we had earlier, in the previous world. "Just let me explain," I said softly. "Come on, Daphne – we need to stick together here! Let's go back to the hotel room and talk; we can't have the police come and take us away!"

But she didn't give me another chance to say anything else in my defense; Daphne pushed past me and raced out of the restroom, and I followed close behind. A man tried grabbing me by the shoulders, but I twisted myself out of his grip, and pursued Daphne, who was a few feet ahead of me.

"Hey, ass hole!" someone bellowed from across the bar. "Maybe if you tried treating your girl right, you wouldn't be chasing her out of a restaurant right now!" A martini glass sailed by and I narrowly avoided dodging it, but I kept going, trying to block out the sounds of boos and screams as I watched Daphne's back retreating from in front of me.

When I stepped out into the cold, rainy evening, I could hear the sound of police sirens screaming in the distance, heading towards the bar. I ran through puddles of water to catch up to Daphne, and when I laid my hand on her shoulder, she jerked herself away from my touch.

"Daphne, please just let me explain why I lied!" I begged. "I promise you that it wasn't malicious!"

She turned on me again, and for a moment, I was worried she would charge at me once more. I saw the way her eyes burned, and I shivered, realizing that I had rarely ever seen her so enraged. "Freddy, you know that I hate liars," she cried. "And I came out and asked you what happened to me here, so there really is no excuse you can think of here to calm me down. I'm going back to our hotel room, and I don't want to see you for a while! I know that we can't be apart for too long, so I would suggest you go somewhere else in the hotel, and don't come into our room until later, when I'm asleep. I don't want to see or talk to you until tomorrow, when it's time to check out and go back to the box. Now don't try and follow me; I'll let myself in with the spare hotel key!"

She turned away and stalked down the street angrily, and I obeyed, not trying to follow her. As I watched her go, I swiped the water away from my eyes and my cheeks, but I was unsure if I was wiping away my tears, or the rain.

* * *

I stared at the bus ticket in my hands, a ticket that was specifically purchased to take me anywhere in a fifty-mile radius. I had scraped together some change from the bottom of my pocket to purchase it after dwelling on everything that had transpired between me and Daphne, and after reflecting on the conversation I had with the Fred who had shared a beer with me. He was right; of course he was right. I had been speculating and thinking how Daphne was better off without me as recently as earlier today, and hearing the other Fred vocalize it had just now caused me to act on it. And now that I had hurt Daphne and caused her to cry and tear through a dive bar as she raced away from me, I had officially decided that Daphne really could survive without me.

"The other Fred is right," I thought, eyeing the street for any sign of the bus. "After all, every time we go through a world, I'm the one who almost gets her killed. In this world I didn't get her killed, but I pretty much broke her heart. And now she has double the amount of vials back in the hotel room, and when she wakes up and sees that I'm not there, she'll be so relieved after today, and she'll find the real Coolsville easier without my subconscious interfering. She was the one who brought us to this Coolsville, and to a point, it's the closest thing we've gotten to our real world, so I'm betting she can do it again."

In the distance, I saw the faint, distinct blur of two bright lights beaming in the rain. I reached into my pocket and traced the coins nestled at the bottom, my thumb scraping against the ridges of the quarter nestled there.

As the bus neared me, I stood from the bench I was waiting on, which was wet from the rain, and had soaked my pants through, causing me to shiver. I thought back on the words the other Fred had said: "_If you truly, truly care for her, and I can see that you're just as crazy about her as I am, you'll leave her tonight, and let her navigate the box by herself. Lord knows she's better at choosing worlds than you are, and I'm sure you've seen other versions of her where she is dating some other hot guy. I can confirm for you that there are worlds out there where Daphne is thriving just fine without us."_

"Well, I'm doing it, multiverse Fred!" I wanted to bellow into the freezing rain. "You were right; she really is so much better off without me. I guess it just took another version of myself to sit me down and say it to my face."

As the bus pulled to a stop in front of me, the doors opened with a whine, and a group of people stepped off, racing through the rain to avoid getting wet. I stared at the doors resolutely, then took my place in line behind the only two people ahead of me. As I waited to board the bus, I thought again of that other Fred, of the weird experience of sitting beside myself and sharing a drink with myself, and I was again struck by the way it had felt as though we had known each other our entire lives. And wasn't it because, in essence, we had known each other since we were born? Our lives had branched only recently, dividing us only by one horrific accident, the death of the love of our life. Of course he was able to sleuth out the one thing that had terrified me and kept me going throughout this entire ordeal; there were no secrets between us; he knew every bad thing I had ever done, every thought I had entertained, every weakness, every secret fear –

_and the one thing that would make me tick._

I baulked as the thought flitted through my mind like a butterfly, and I could feel my body drenched in a cold sweat.

_"The other versions of Fred that I've met so far have all lost her, too," he had said. "And they're all desperate to get her back and go back home. You've probably figured this out by now, but even though we're all pretty similar, none of us are the exact same. And some of us are pretty desperate, and would do pretty desperate things to get her back."_

Of course; he was warning me against himself. It was right there, in black and white; why hadn't I seen it immediately? Since he knew every little thing about me, he also knew how to wrench Daphne away from me without both of us realizing it, and without causing Daphne any trauma. It was the perfect plan, really; he would needle at my thoughts and fears and insecurities, and when he succeeded in driving me away, he would swoop in and take her, and she would never know the difference. And of course he would want her back for himself too, because at the end of the day, he wanted to the same thing I did; to go back home, to the real Coolsville, with Daphne by my side, safe and sound.

"Hey buddy, you all right there?" The bus driver interrupted my thoughts as he snapped his fingers in front of my face. "You gonna give me your ticket pal, or what?"

I imagined that I looked stupid standing there before him, my mouth gaping open like a goldfish. I shook my head to diffuse the static in my head; I was thinking clearly now, and Daphne was in danger. By skipping town and leaving Daphne behind, not only would I be hurting her in the long-term, even though it didn't seem that way at the time, I was also playing right into the multiverse Fred's hands.

"Sorry man, but I gotta go!" I cried, dropping my ticket onto the ground. "My girl needs me!"

The driver shrugged indifferently as he watched me bolt out of the truck and dash into the rain. My heart was pounding in my ears and my breath rose like a cloud in front of me as I ran, huffing and puffing, back to the hotel, hoping that I wasn't too late to stop him from taking her from me. I never stopped running, not even when I finally reached the hotel lobby and passed the same lady who had given us a key to our room earlier, and now regarded me as though I was a deranged lunatic. I smashed the elevator button, but a second later I burst through the stairwell, too impatient for the elevator, and I clambered up what felt like sixty flights of stairs before I burst onto the second floor. My heart slowed when I saw no change in the hallway and noticed no one milling around, but then it accelerated again when I realized that that really didn't mean anything had happened. I whipped my key out of my pocket and thrusted it into the keyhole, turning it with trembling hands, and flinging the door open aggressively.

Once the door was open, I stumbled into the room, my eyes taking in the sight of the unkempt, tousled white bedsheets and the silent television screen, and worst of all, Daphne's loud, undeniable absence.

"Daphne?!" I choked out, my eyes welling with tears, hoping that she would respond, but knowing that I was too late – Daphne was gone.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

I paced around the hotel room, running my fingers through my hair feverishly, gazing at the room in disbelief. "I'm too late," I moaned. "That other Fred knew me too well, and he managed to take her right from under my nose. I never thought I would see the day when Daphne was kidnapped by another version of _myself_!"

I threw my hands into my palms and began to sob uncontrollably; if Daphne and I couldn't even find our Coolsville together, then how was I going to find her and the other Fred, too? Now she would be doomed to spend the rest of her life zigzagging in and out of doors in the multiverse, unknowingly trailing behind yet another imitation of myself. "Maybe I should finally admit that there are multiple versions of myself who are apparently better versions of me than I could have ever been," I thought. "After all, I'm here because another version of me whisked me away from Coolsville, and now a second version of myself just stole my girlfriend. How pathetic is that?!"

I collapsed onto my knees and fell onto the hotel's tacky brown carpet and began wailing loudly, not caring about the other guests who could potentially hear me. I was so distraught that my mind began playing tricks on me; I could distantly hear Daphne's voice in my head, asking me, "What in the world are you crying on about right now?!"

I was sobbing so hard that I was practically suffocating for breath; as I cried, I paused, bewildered at the cruel way my mind could play such an unusual trick on me at the worst moment. Sputtering through hot tears and saliva, I wailed, "Daphne is gone, but it's like she's still here; I feel like I'm hallucinating her voice!"

Then – "Oh Jesus Christ Freddy, that's because that is me you hear! What is going on? Why are you crying on the floor like that?!"

I jerked my head out of my hands as my ears registered the delayed sound of a toilet flushing from the bathroom. Slowly, I picked my head up out of my hands and stared at the bathroom door, as if the other side held all the answers to all the unsolved mysteries of the world. And then the door whipped open, and my heart felt as though it was going to melt right out of my chest, and my eyes welled up with fresh tears, and I gasped, "Daphne?!"

Sure enough, Daphne was standing in the frame of the bathroom doorway, one hand on her hip as she regarded me coolly. She was still wearing the clothes we had purchased from the thrift store earlier, but she had her backpack slung across her shoulder and her shoes were laced up, as if she were about to step outside. Her eyes were still puffy from crying, and they still flickered with a slight rage, but as she narrowed her gaze at me, her eyes clouded over with confusion and even a layer of concern as she stared at me.

"Freddy, what are you wailing about out here?" Daphne asked, her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "I thought you went to fill up our water bottles before we leave for the box again?"

A light bulb went off in my head as she spoke – _the other Fred. _So I hadn't missed stopping him from taking Daphne, but apparently, I had nearly missed them entirely; in fact, I knew that in some other world, behind some other door in the vast, cold multiverse, some other version of myself had missed them, and now he had to resign himself to the fact that he would drift among the multiverse alone, without Daphne, forever.

I sprang back onto my feet and rushed forward to Daphne, pulling her into my arms and sobbing endlessly into her shoulders. Daphne flinched, shocked by my sudden outburst, and initially she remained rigid and cold, still unreceptive to me as a result from our fight earlier. But as I continued to sob and cough for air, I could tell she was starting to feel puzzled, and even frightened; she slowly wrapped her arms around me and rubbed small circles on my back, and attempted to quiet me as I stammered and cried in her embrace.

"Freddy, I am so confused – did something happen? Why are you so inconsolable all of a sudden?" Daphne asked. "A few minutes ago you were here, and you were very adamant that we had to leave without saying why, and when I said I really wasn't in the mood to go anywhere with you, you darted out to fill up our water bottles and said I had to be prepared to leave when you got back because it was a matter of life or death. Do you care to explain to me what is happening around here? Because I am not having in the mood for any more of your lies after what happened at the bar earlier!"

I flinched, jolted back into reality and the sense of urgency simmering beneath this moment; in my happiness and immense relief over the fact that I had not missed Daphne, I completely forgot about getting away from the multiverse Fred.

I cupped my hands around Daphne's face and looked her in the eyes. "I'm so sorry for everything today," I began. "And I promise, as soon as we're safe, I'm going to make everything right, but just trust me, we have to get going, right now, or – "

"DAPHNE, STEP AWAY FROM THAT IMPOSTER!"

Daphne and I both balked, startled by the sudden outburst, and we turned to face the entrance of the hotel room, where the Fred that I had met at the bar was standing in the doorway. He was cradling five bottles of water in his arms, and his mouth was rounded in a perfectly shaped "O" as he stared at us. His eyes flicked back and forth between both of us, as if he couldn't quite comprehend what he was seeing, and his cheeks were burning a crimson red. Finally, his eyes rested upon mine, and I could see a storm of anger and confusion brewing in his crystal blue irises.

Daphne shrieked as loud as I've ever heard her scream, which is saying something considering all the mysteries we've solved together. She placed her hands on my chest and shoved me backwards so that I was stumbling, and I staggered back into the wall. As Daphne eyed both of us cautiously she retreated away from us, her mouth dropping slowly and her eyes widening. "I-I don't believe this," she stuttered. "Fred, uh, whichever one you are – what is going on?"

The imposter Fred stepped forward, closer to Daphne, but she took a cautious step back to put some distance between the two of them. "Daph, you don't understand," the other Fred begged her. "Remember when I was here earlier and I said we had to leave immediately? Well, this despicable excuse for a Fred Jones is the reason why! I met this imposter when we were at the bar earlier, and he basically admitted to me that he was going to kidnap you, so that was why I rushed up to our room and said we had to leave now! And it looks like he's beat me before I could come back for you!"

I dragged myself off the ground and stumbled towards Daphne, but just as she did with the other Fred she shuddered, repulsed, as if I was a snake sliding towards her, and she took another step back, cornered now against the wall by the window. "Daphne! Don't listen to him," I cried. "I know I fucked up by leaving you alone earlier, and I'm so so sorry – I'll never let myself get over how I could do that to you, but my head was in a bad place. I promise you, I'm the real Fred!"

Daphne's eyes grew wider, panicked, as she surveyed both versions of us. I glanced at the other Fred as I attempted to comprehend what Daphne could be thinking, and I felt my heart knock against my rib cage as I studied my doppelgänger, who looked like my exact clone in the same blue plaid shirt and pair of pants I had purchased at the thrift store hours ago (was it really only hours ago? It's crazy how drastically things can change in such a short time!). How strange and odd that the two of us were so similar in appearance and mannerisms, yet so unalike; I would never resort to traumatizing Daphne and forcing her to choose between two versions of myself!

The other Fred took another step towards Daphne, and this time, she reached into her backpack, yielding the knife the first multiverse Velma had gifted us. I saw the other Fred throw his hands in the air as a sign of defeat and step backwards. "Daphne, why would you ever threaten me?!" he asked, incredulous. "You know that I love you with all my heart!"

"I hate to do this, but it's just as precaution, until I can figure out which one of you is _my _Fred," she explained, her eyes continuing to dart back and forth between us both. I saw her eye both of us carefully, and then I saw her hone in on both of our ears. When I saw her do a double-take as her eyes rested upon the earlobe I had gotten shot in the diseased world, I bit my lip to keep from smiling as I marveled at her brilliance. "Of course!" I thought. "Since the other Fred didn't follow the exact same paths as us, he doesn't have the injuries I sustained."

I saw Daphne straighten herself, reassured by a sudden glow of confidence, and without so much a tremor in her voice, she managed to ask, "I think I have this figured out, but I need to know one thing, and this will definitely tell me if I've got the right Fred; what was our fight about earlier, after we left the bar?"

The other Fred blinked, looking momentarily thrown, before he stammered, "I – uh, well –"

"Our fight was about how I lied to you about what happened to the version of you living in this world," I spoke evenly and calmly, staring her right in the eyes as I responded. I saw her blink, as if she was holding back tears, but then she stopped. I continued, "Earlier, you asked me what happened to you when I looked up different versions of ourselves online. I found out that you had died here, but I knew that would devastate you to hear, so I decided to lie and say that you were a normal girl in this world. I was trying to protect you, honestly, but I screwed up, and I'm so sorry."

Daphne lowered the knife, her eyes softening as she stared at me. "Freddy –"

But she was interrupted by the other Fred, who suddenly began hurling the water bottles at me, one by one, which I tried to block using my arms and legs. As he threw the final one, it connected with my eye, causing the room to tilt and spin as I felt hazy and disoriented for a second, and then I saw a blur of blue as he rushed me, and we fell to the floor as he collided into me. I could hear Daphne screaming and crying and begging us as he straddled me on the ground, trying to punch me in the face, but I gripped his arm and pushed him off of me so that he went tumbling over. I scrambled up and wrapped my arms around the other Fred's thighs, and mustering all my strength, I lifted him with everything in me and rammed him straight into the wall, crushing the air out of his lungs. He doubled over in pain, and I drove my knee into his thigh, causing him to scream in agony. I drew my knee back for another blow, ready to break his kneecaps so that he couldn't chase after us, but at the last second the other Fred re-straightened himself and swept his left leg out from under me.

I slammed onto the brown carpet, caught off guard by the other Fred's resilience, and the back of my head hit the ground so hard that I could see bursts of white light, and in an instant he was on top of me again, and he stretched one hand forward to constrict my throat, effectively cutting off my air. As I gasped and coughed, he raised his fist and punched me, causing my cheek to spasm in a supernova of pain. He tightened his grasp around my neck, and I could feel my lungs burning, begging for air, and as my ears began ringing, I knew that I was going to die here, suffocated, in a sense, by my own hands. The other Fred guffawed, marveling at the panic that had no doubt washed over my eyes, and leaned in real close so that he was only inches from my face. When he opened his mouth, I could smell the musky scent of beer lingering on his breath from earlier, and he snarled, "Good old Freddy boy thought he could come back and save his girlfriend; well guess what Jones, you're about to die, and my plan to kidnap Daphne is going to work. I'm going to take her so far away from here that – "

And then all at once the weight around my neck was gone and the other Fred had tottered off of me as something rammed into him, effectively driving him off of me. I rasped for breath, my lungs stinging as I took big gulps of air, and I craned my neck towards where the other Fred had fallen as I sat up slowly, confused as to what had happened to get him off of me, and then I saw Daphne standing over the other Fred with a bloodied knife in her hand, and the other Fred, looking up at her with a look of profound pain and confusion as a bright red spot bloomed on his chest. I heard him take a wet, ragged breath as he put a finger in the hole on his chest to try and plug it, but it was to no avail; the blood kept on widening and spreading across his shirt.

The other Fred leaned towards Daphne, raising a shaky hand, and gasped, "But – but – how could you do this to me?!"

I saw Daphne recoil, as if she was starting to process what she had truly done, but then her eyes flickered back over to where I laid crumpled on the ground, and she glared at the other Fred. "You're right – I could never do something like this to the _real_ Fred, because he's the love of my life," she spat, her eyes blazing with anger as she eyed the other Fred, who was trembling as she spoke. "But you're an imposter, and you're not even a very good one, at that; the real Fred knows that I despise being kidnapped!"

The other Fred groaned at her response as he finally tottered and fell onto the ground, grimacing and holding his stomach, blood leaking through his fingers, unable to prop himself up any longer against the torrents of pain. Daphne looked at me again, and our eyes locked, and a second later she rushed towards me, pulling me up from the carpet.

"We have to get going, now," I said, keeping my voice as steady and calm as possible as I attempted not to stare at this version of myself bleeding out on the carpet of this hotel room. "Who's to say there aren't other versions of me who are bloodthirsty enough to come after us and kill us? Besides, we've caused too much of a scene here between the bar and now this; if the police find us and see him, we're never going to make it out of this world!"

Daphne nodded, once, and she gripped my wrist and began dragging me out of the room, but when we were just about to leave I stopped, and pulled her back, crying, "Wait! I don't want him to follow us on the small chance he somehow makes it, and I need to go back for my backpack!"

I broke from Daphne's hold and ran back to where my backpack was sitting against the wall, and after I slung it across my shoulders, I towered above the other Fred. By now, he was stretched out on his side, and he was still groaning and grasping at the spot on his chest where he had been stabbed. We locked eyes, briefly, and I leaned down and patted his jean pockets down thoroughly, but felt myself growing dismayed as I found nothing.

"Where do you keep the drug?!" I barked. "I'm taking them with us so you can't follow us once we leave here!"

I heard him mumble, and I slapped him across the cheek, hard. "I can't hear you!" I said.

"I…have…none…left…" he finally spat. "Why did you think I was still in this world? My supply ran out here. Kidnapping her was also a way of giving myself another way out of here since you two still had some vials remaining."

For some reason, I felt my heart pang in my chest; was he an early foreshadowing of what would happen when Daphne and I ran out of the liquid drug? What would be our choice then?

I continued to eye him, refusing to break the gaze between us. "If you're lying, and you try to do this again, it won't work," I said, speaking slowly to ensure he didn't miss a word I told him. "I admit, it was a clever idea you had to try and separate us by appealing to my deepest fears and insecurities. But I won't allow myself and my own thoughts and fears to be a danger to me or Daphne any longer!"

The other Fred didn't say anything as he suffered in silence, and I turned to face Daphne again, who was beginning to look pale as she eyed us. I had taken only a step away from him when I heard the other Fred cough my name.

I looked over at the sight of the other Fred laying in a giant pool of blood, which was widening by the second, and my blood ran cold and my heart rate galloped when I saw him manage a smile, and he choked, "You..and her…will _never_…make it home. The multiverse….is too…_infinite._ I have met…many versions…of us…who have failed to make it home….too…."

I felt something squeeze in my throat and the room spun for a second, and for a minute I was worried that I was going to suffocate, this time on my own fear, but I turned to him and snarled, "That's what you think, but we're not like the other versions of you all; we're going to get home, if it's the last thing we do!"

Not wanting to give the other Fred the satisfaction of an additional reaction from me, I rushed through the hotel room, propelled by the sound of a police siren outside and the adrenaline coursing through my veins. Daphne slipped her hand through mine and began guiding me towards the exit of the hotel room, and as we ran, I resisted the urge to glance behind me to stare one last time at the Fred who was slowly dying behind us.

We burst out of the hotel room and raced down the hallway, passing a woman who was standing in the hallway, her neck craned towards our room, a phone in her hand, crying into the phone. I didn't pause long enough to hear what she had to say, but I could hear the words "domestic assault" and "screaming," and I intrinsically knew she was on the phone with the police. We didn't wait for the elevator, instead scaling down the stairs and flying out into the cold, rainy evening, our hearts thumping in our chest and our breathing staggered as we ran through the streets, flying past screaming police cars that were heading towards the hotel. Not once did we pause to catch our breath, and we never disentangled our hands as we rushed through this world's version of Coolsville while the rain pelted our faces and drenched our hair and eyes. I didn't allow myself to feel a glimmer of hope and relief until we were finally on the outskirts of town and I could see the silver box gleaming as the rain pelted against the metal surface. Together, we nudged the door open by throwing our weight against the door, and once the door clanged shut behind us, I slipped my backpack off my shoulders and pulled two vials out of the bag.

I shoved one towards Daphne, who grasped it with a trembling hand. I turned away from her to slam my own vial so we could get far, far away from this world when I jumped, startled by the sound of glass shattering, and I turned to look at Daphne, who was staring, emotionless, at the shards of glass from the vial and the green drug as it trickled into a puddle on the cold metal surface of the box.

"Daph, is everything okay?!" I asked, alarmed at her eyes, which were wide open and looked empty, unblinking. She looked at me as though she didn't know who I was, staring at me with confusion and something else.

"Daph, what's wrong?!" I asked, the alarm I felt matching my voice as it climbed in fear.

"My hands," she choked, staring at her hands as though they were dirtied, but they were completely spotless. "They're covered in so much blood…"

I felt my adrenaline and fear surge, and my heart started thumping again as I realized that she was feeling shock as a result of killing this other version of me; so much of our experiences already were too much for our minds to handle, and now she would have to grapple with killing a man that looked exactly like me, her boyfriend, someone she loved and admired deeply.

I stepped forward and held her face between my hands, trying to catch her eyes, and said, "Daphne, look, you just saved my life. If you hadn't stabbed him back there, I would have suffocated, and you would have been kidnapped by some version of me. You did what you had to do, and now we have to get out of here. Come on, let's drink this thing and get out of here!"

Somehow my words must have reached her in the fog because she nodded, wearily, and she accepted the next vial that I handed to her, hands still shaking. She managed to drink the drug, slowly, and I mimicked her, and a second later the box expanded into the infinite corridor once more, and the familiar sight of doors popping up along the walls materialized inside the box. I gazed at Daphne, fear knotting my stomach as I saw her eyes, still wide and blank, and I reached out to grasp her hand, which was beginning to tremble at an increasingly alarm rate. Something inside of me took control, and I pulled her down the hallway, away from the vial that she had dropped and accidently smashed, but as we walked, I could hear her mumbling incoherently about blood, similarly to when we had nearly frozen to death in the ice world.

I turned to her, concern blooming inside of me, and I pulled her into my arms. She let me hold her, and we just stood there like that, shaking and trembling, until the box collapsed into one door, and just as she did for me when I was screaming and crying and pulling at my hair, I gently yanked her to the ground and pulled her against my chest. I could feel both of our hearts racing in the silence, and I could hear her breathing loudly, and as my eyes adjusted, I saw her biting her lip, trying to hold back tears, but then a second later her shoulders jerked and the sobs broke loose. As she cried in my arms like a small child, I thought of all the horror she had seen today – that we had both seen over the past days – and I felt my eyes well up too.

I ran my fingers through her hair as she continued crying, unsure of what to say, until I finally managed to muster up an apology, "Daphne, again, I'm so sorry about earlier, it's just that I thought I was protecting you, and – "

She had a moment of lucidity as she placed a finger to my lips and shook her head, and replied, "Don't say anything – just hold me, please."

We slid to the cold metal ground so that we were laying on our sides once again, and just as we had slept the night before, I enveloped her in a tight embrace, and she burrowed her face into my neck. I could feel my neck getting wet from her tears, but I just continued to run my fingers through her hair, as she had done for me, and I listened to her cry, and I tried not to let myself dwell on whether or not the multiverse Fred was right when he prophesied that we were never going to make it back home.

But deep down in the darkest crevices of my heart, I knew the other Fred wasn't wrong, and seeing him without additional drugs had underscored a huge concern we had mostly evaded until now; Daphne and I were still seeking a small grain of sand on an infinite beach, and if one of these worlds didn't kill us or traumatize us first, we were going to end up lost and directionless, and if we ended up like that other Fred, we were going to be stuck in a world that wasn't our home once our drug supply diminished completely.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: **All right guys, here is an update for you! I know this story might be feeling a long-winded, but I promise you, there is an end in sight; I just can't say what happens to Fred and Daphne cause you'll have to read and find out ;) I can't believe this has officially surpassed my first story by 20K words, but I'm glad everyone enjoys reading this as much as I am enjoying writing it, even if it is taking me a bit longer to finish. My goal is to finish this sometime over the next month or so, but we'll see what happens. For now, I hope you enjoy this latest installment! As always, reviews are always appreciated and welcome! - iamacliche

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**Chapter 17**

When Velma's alarm rang at 6 AM the next morning, she immediately rolled over and turned it off, then buried her head under her orange colored duvets in an attempt to block out the streaks of sunlight that pierced through her blinds. Normally, the moment her alarm shrilled, Velma shot out of bed and tackled the day head on, eager for a day of mystery solving and learning and being with her friends, but lately, it felt as though no matter how many hours of sleep she had the night before, it wasn't enough; she felt perpetually exhausted. And the cause of her constant exhaustion seemed to stem from Daphne and Fred, who were not only dragging the gang through mystery after mystery after mystery relentlessly, but were also behaving mysteriously and were always full of drama; Fred and Daphne were literally draining Velma of her energy and enthusiasm lately.

As if she had conjured them with her thoughts, Velma heard her phone beep beside her alarm clock, indicating that she had received a text message, and she intrinsically knew it was from either Fred or Daphne. Groaning, Velma stripped the blankets off her body and sat up lazily in bed, bleary-eyed. Rubbing her fists against her eyes, she reached for her phone, and groaned again when she saw the sender's name – Daphne Blake. Normally, Velma would have opened it in a heartbeat, but something made her place her phone back on the dresser, screen down, with the text message ignored. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate Daphne and Fred's recent burst of enthusiasm and ambition regarding mysteries; in fact, she had initially found it refreshing, and even inspiring, that a close brush with death would reignite their desire to solve mysteries. But the constant pace of mystery after mystery was beginning to grate against Velma's nerves; solving mysteries all the time left time for nothing else in her life. She was supposed to send her box based on Schrodiner's Cat to a group of interested scientists for further experimentation a few days after her initial unveiling, but she didn't have a spare moment between classes and the mysteries, which seemed to extend before her like an endless hallway.

Velma had just burrowed back beneath her blankets when her phone began vibrating, implying that she was receiving an incoming phone call. Velma moaned out loud and whipped the blankets off her head. She didn't even bother to glance at the screen to see who was calling as she snatched up the phone and pressed it against her ear; instead, she merely answered by speaking in a monotone, flat voice; "Hello, Daphne. What's going on for today? I presume you and Freddy are already anticipating our next case?"

There was a pause on the other end, and then Daphne replied, her voice sounding defeated and almost broken, "Hi, Velms. I know it's early, and I know we've been exhausting you a lot lately, but do you think you could come outside and talk to me real quick? I promise, it'll only take a few minutes!"

"Come outside and talk to you?!" Velma cried, incredulous. "What, are you standing outside my house or something?!"

"Actually, yes," Daphne replied sheepishly. Her voice sounded like it was wavering, and Velma could practically see Daphne blushing in her mind. "I'm standing outside your front door, actually. I've been knocking and waiting, but I forgot that your mom went to work already, and I figured you must still be sleeping."

"Oh for crying out loud, Daphne!" Velma exclaimed. "I can't believe you're already here at 6 AM! Don't you and Freddy ever sleep?!"

"I promise, it isn't mystery related!" Daphne spoke quickly, as if she was afraid that Velma would hang up soon. "Just please let me inside, and I'll explain everything in a second!"

Velma mumbled something inaudibly beneath her breath as they disconnected the call. She rolled out of bed and caught a glance of her appearance in the mirror, pausing to run her hands through the stubborn stray hairs that always inevitably betrayed her by standing on end every time she woke up in the morning; her mom always joked about how messy Velma's hair looked in the morning, in spite of (or perhaps because of) the way Velma had consistently kept her hair shorter. Velma sighed as she stripped off her pajamas and quickly threw on an orange turtle neck sweater and a red skirt; she didn't have a spare second to shower, let alone run a brush through her hair, since Daphne was already outside waiting for her. Normally, Velma wasn't one to get caught up in details concerning appearance, but lately it felt as though Fred and Daphne weren't even giving her and Shaggy and Scooby a chance to breathe, and she feared that their growing desire to solve mysteries was going to start interfering with hygiene, too.

"Well," Velma decided as she clambered down her stairs and walked towards the front door. "I think Shaggy, Scooby, and I need to sit down with Fred and Daphne if it gets to that point. This is starting to become too much; I need to be able to have a second just to breathe!"

Velma yanked her front door open to confront Daphne, who was standing on the Dinkley's front porch. Immediately, Velma could discern her friend's anxiety; even though Daphne looked beautiful and seamlessly put together as always in fresh make-up and a crisp outfit, Daphne kept casting nervous glances down the street, as if she thought she was being followed, and her eyebrows were stitched together with concern. When she saw Velma standing in the threshold of the doorway, Daphne quickly invited herself inside, sparing one final glance behind her shoulder.

"Daphne, why are you here so early?" Velma demanded, her arms crossing over her chest. "You know that I love you, and I love spending time with you and the rest of the gang, but this has been almost too much lately! Shaggy and Scooby and I are getting tired of the endless streak of cases, and now your attachment to us has grown so excessive, you're standing outside my door at 6 AM on a Saturday! What gives?!"

Velma watched as Daphne's face began to crumple and her eyes began to spill over with tears, and she instantly regretted treating her friend so venomously; normally, Velma would never dream of speaking to Daphne or anyone else in the gang in that manner, but her nerves were so fried lately that she just couldn't help herself.

"Daphne, what's the matter?" Velma asked, her voice much gentler now. She reached for her friend to offer her a hug, and Daphne immediately obliged, holding Velma in a tight embrace, as if she feared that she would never see her friend again.

"Daphne, please try and talk to me," Velma implored her friend again. She broke the hug so she could look Daphne in the eyes, but Daphne wouldn't make eye contact. "Is something the matter? Your behavior lately has been, well, nothing short of a mystery. Are you and Freddy having relationship problems? Is everything going okay at home, with your parents?"

Daphne paused, as if she were processing how to respond, before she answered evenly, "Velma, what would you say if I told you that I did something really, really bad? Would you still be my friend?"

Velma felt her heart sputter in her chest, and her breath hitched in her throat. "Daph, listen to me carefully; you're my closest female friend. You know that Fred and Shaggy and Scooby are my best friends too, but you're my closest girl friend, and that counts for a lot in my eyes. I promise you, no matter what you did or no matter what you confess, I will still be your friend. Now, tell me- what did you do that was really bad?"

As if Velma's response had triggered something in Daphne, she began to sob uncontrollably, and Velma couldn't help but jump, startled at this sudden outpouring of emotion; she had never seen this from Daphne before, not even when Daphne had bemoaned and wailed about her crush on Fred before the two started dating. Velma moved towards her friend for another hug, but Daphne waved her off with her hands, choking, "That's all I ever wanted was to hear you say that just once more. Velma, you have no idea what these past few weeks have meant to me; I have missed our friendship and our mystery solving so much, and I thought that if I could just have that back again, then I would be happy. But lately the guilt has been eating away at me, and I just can't keep this hidden anymore."

Velma felt the hairs raise on her arm in premonition of whatever Daphne was trying to say. "Daph, what are you talking about right now?" Velma asked slowly and carefully. "You've never lost our friendship; I've always been right here, and I always will be right here."

Daphne reached for her purse then, fumbling to open the zipper with trembling hands. She finally retrieved a DVD sleeve and passed it to Velma, who stared at it with wonder and confusion.

"Just watch that," Daphne sobbed again, swiping the tears from her face with her fingers. "I know you and Shaggy have been suspicious about me and Freddy's behavior lately, but this will confirm all you need to know. Once you've finished watching it, call me and tell me whether or not you're still serious about being friends; if I don't hear from you, I'll understand. But promise me that no matter how upset and shocked you are that you don't tell Freddy I was here; it's important that he does not know about this." Before Velma could open her mouth to ask another question, Daphne pulled her friend in for one last hug and turned on her heels to walk out the front door, leaving a bewildered Velma behind.

Velma shook her head slowly, still trying to process everything that had happened. After talking to Daphne, the last few bits of early morning fog had dissipated from her head, and she was humming with adrenaline as she raced to the living room to throw the DVD on the screen. Velma knew that somehow, someway, this DVD held all the answers to why Daphne and Fred had been acting so mysterious lately, and her stomach churned as she considered whether or not she was really prepared to see whatever played on her TV.

When the TV screen flicked on and the DVD loaded, Velma blinked, taken aback to see a view of the Coolsville High School gymnasium in black and white. The gym was completely empty; there wasn't a single student or teacher standing in the shot. The date stamped in the corner was the same evening as Velma's unveiling of the box, but even without the date stamped, she would have known immediately by the way the box was standing in the corner of the screen. Velma rubbed her fingers against her temples, confused, and thought to herself, "Why would Daphne want me to see some footage from my unveiling? And furthermore, how did she even get this footage from Coolsville High School's security?"

Velma began to reach for her phone so she could call Daphne and ask what was going on when a movement on the screen caught her eye. She saw the double doors open in the corner of the screen, and when she saw Fred and Daphne being marched into the gym with guns pressed against their backs, she was so shocked and upset that she dropped her phone onto the ground and didn't even react as the glass screen cracked, etching a spider-web like break across her phone. She leaned forward as she watched Daphne and Fred's kidnappers march the couple into the gym, and Velma felt her throat tighten with tears as she saw Daphne crying and Fred's eyes darting around the gym nervously as he no doubt was trying to devise an escape plan. She squinted to see if she could discern the identity of the kidnappers, but they were covered in black and were wearing ski masks to conceal their identity. One of the kidnappers barked an order at Daphne and Fred, and Velma scrambled to turn up the volume as she watched Daphne and Fred kneeling onto the gym floor.

With the volume on full blast so she couldn't miss a word, Velma felt the sweat trickle down her back slowly, like a line of ants marching, and she felt her arms covered in goosebumps as she heard a female voice instruct Fred and Daphne, "Okay, you need to drink this." As Velma watched as the slender captor walked towards Daphne, Velma scratched her head and thought, "But, that woman's voice – it sounds so familiar. If I didn't know better, I would almost say it sounds like – "

Velma's thoughts were spliced by the action on screen, as Daphne looked between Fred and the captors before she finally drank whatever liquid had been forced on her. A second later Daphne froze and fell forward, clearly unconscious, and Velma felt as though all the air was sucked out of her lungs. She felt tears welling behind her eyes as Fred watched, his mouth dropped and his eyes widened, and he rushed towards Daphne, who was lying in a crumpled heap on the ground, and cradled her delicately in his arms. Velma wiped the tears streaming down her cheeks as she heard Fred berate the captors, calling them monsters and asking them what they had done to Daphne. "So Daphne and Fred weren't hit by a car that day!" Velma surmised. "It looks like they had a different near death experience entirely. But I'm confused – why didn't they tell us they were kidnapped at gun point?"

Velma watched as the other captor stepped towards Fred to offer him a fluid in a tube, as well. She leaned forward, absorbed by the action as though she was watching a gripping horror film, and watched as Fred stared at Daphne, who was limp and appeared lifeless in his arms, before he finally tipped his head back as he swallowed the drink. Only a few seconds later he began to lean forward, and he appeared to have enough wherewithal only to place Daphne on the floor gingerly before he laid stretched out beside her, just as motionless and unresponsive.

Velma gasped and shook her head. "Ohhh Daphne and Fred," she murmured. "You poor, poor things! I wish you had only told us the truth; so how did you get away from these two clowns?!" She was almost too afraid to keep watching; what was the motive here in kidnapping her friends? Was she about to witness an assault on her friends? A robbery? She could feel her eyes welling up with fresh tears but she quickly blinked them away, not wanting to miss a single second of the action; she felt she owed it to her friends, who had obviously been acting out of a place of trauma over these past few weeks.

But when Velma saw the captors step towards Fred and Daphne, her heart dropped into her stomach and her breathing stopped when she saw the ski masks removed. The second she saw the blonde hair and the crystal blue eyes standing next to the shiny red hair and the bright white teeth, Velma threw her hands over her mouth to stop the bile that threatened to fly out of her mouth.

On screen, she heard the captor, who was clearly Fred, cackle and laugh. "That was almost _too_ easy, Daphne!" he exclaimed. "C'mon, we better hurry and get these two out of here before someone catches us!" She didn't stop watching, not once; not when the other Fred and Daphne gripped her friends by their wrists and dragged their limp bodies, as if they were trash, along the gym floor. She didn't stop watching as Fred pushed the door to the box open with his shoulders; she didn't stop watching when the other Fred and Daphne dragged her drugged friends into the box. She didn't even stop watching the second the door closed on the box and an eerie green light shone for the briefest of seconds beneath the cracks before burning out altogether. For five whole minutes, Velma didn't move; she didn't breathe; didn't speak; didn't cry. After the five minutes had elapsed, only then did Velma slowly, ever so slowly, reach towards her phone, and she sent a text to Shaggy asking him to bring Scooby to her house immediately. Afterwards, she texted Daphne, or who she had presumed was Daphne up until a few minutes ago, and commanded her to come straight back over to her house so they could speak.

After the texts had been sent, Velma finally stood up, sprinted towards the bathroom, and leaned into her porcelain toilet as wave after wave after wave of nausea wracked and convulsed her body. She must have flushed the toilet six times before she finally felt as though the roof of her mouth wasn't coated in a metallic taste. As she rolled onto the ground and laid on her back, she stared up at the ceiling and groaned.

"Jinkies!" she cried, her voice echoing in the bathroom. "This is all my fault; what have I _done_?!"


	18. Chapter 18

**Author Note: **You're all surprised I'm back, aren't you? No worries, I'm a bit surprised myself, but I promise I stayed away for this long not because I hate writing but because my life has, to be blunt, been a complete shit show. But I missed writing, and getting back into the groove of things has helped, and I really miss writing these two, and I want to see them have a definitive conclusion one way or another. So, it may take me awhile, but I hope that you haven't grown tired of this story, because I promise you the end is near soon, and I can't wait to share it with you all. As always, please read and review, and I am so grateful for your feedback and support!

Also note: This chapter has some language and some scenes with sexuality, so the "T" rating becomes prominent here.

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**Chapter 18**

I wonder how Schrodinger's cat would have felt when he was encased in a box with nothing except a vial of poison.

I know that Velma stressed that it was a thought experiment, originally intended to be paradoxical really, but since the idea of the imaginative has gone out the window at this point, I can't help but wonder about the fictional little guy. The gang and I have only ever owned Scooby Doo, so we're really only versed in dog behavior, but I have heard that cats don't like tight, enclosed spaces. Would the cat begin to scream and groan when the scientists closed the box? Did anyone ever consider how a cat would have felt about the experiment? They say that the cat, in theory, is both dead and alive when the box opens, thus resulting in the fork in the road, but what about the in-between worlds? What of the worlds where the cat would inevitably find himself trapped in a massive blizzard, or is stuck confronting a version of himself that he always dreaded he would become one day? What of the worlds that are so emotionally and psychologically damaging that they scared and traumatized this cat forever?

These are the thoughts tumbling through my head as Daphne and I walk side by side, holding hands but still feeling as though the air around us crackled with tension and frustration as we cut through the alleys and streets of Coolsville. Just as with the previous worlds, we had opened the door and hoped that we were finally home, but again, we were surrounded by more buildings that seem to mock us and city air that suffocated us and a pale blue sky that didn't feel like home. The two of us had barely spoken a word to each other; I had done my best to comfort and calm her after Daphne had her breakdown in the previous world as a result of killing the multiverse Fred, but she had insisted she was fine after a few hours had passed, and that she was ready to see whatever world resided behind the door that had appeared as we attempted to recover. However, I hadn't been feeling too optimistic since, again, this world was most likely born out of further emotional turmoil, but we had to try our luck since we were running low on the drug now. As it was, Daphne only had 13 tubes left since she had shattered one, and I was left with 14, so we really technically had 13 chances between the two of us to get it right. While that sounded like a lot, we had already visited five (or now six, depending on how this one worked out) different worlds that were totally unrelated (and even dangerous) to our own, and the multiverse Fred who had caused us problems got me thinking; if he wasn't bluffing about meeting other versions of myself who had run out of the drug, as he himself had done, then there was a good chance that Daphne and I were going to be stranded in whatever world we found ourselves in on the last attempt. And considering the dangerous nature of almost every single world we had visited thus far, I was not feeling so positive about the odds of that final world being our home town.

Daphne sighed, exasperated, and finally turned to me and said, "I don't think we should even bother looking up Velma and Shaggy in this world, Fred; none of these buildings match our home, so there's no way this is the same Coolsville. Let's just head back to the box and try again; it's getting dark outside."

I nodded once to indicate that I had heard her, but I paused when I caught a movement flickering in my peripheral vision. I turned to look and found myself facing an abandoned power plant that had not existed in our Coolsville, but there was no sign of anyone or anything lurking in front of the building.

Daphne knitted her eyebrows together as she sensed my reaction. "Freddy, what's wrong?" she pressed, her voice rising an octave with panic.

Not wanting to induce any unnecessary chaos, I forced myself to smile at her coolly, in spite of the fact that goosebumps wafted over my skin and a steady stream of sweat unexpectedly slid down my back like ants. "It's nothing," I said casually. "You're right – let's get going."

But immediately after I reassured her I shifted on my feet uneasily, my neck tingling and a chill running down my spine, and a feeling of impending doom crept over me, which always happened whenever we were being watched. I spun towards the abandoned power plant again, but this time instead of facing only empty, pitch black rooms and shattered windows, I saw a scrawny teenager with long, unkempt brown hair eyeing us with beady eyes and a furrowed forehead. When I saw the familiar green shirt, which was now tattered and torn in random places, my heart plummeted into my chest.

Daphne glanced at the direction in which I was staring, and registered the multiverse Shaggy only a few seconds after I did. She visibly shook, and I heard her breath hitch in her throat. "Freddy," Daphne murmured. "That does not look like our Shaggy one bit…in fact, he looks, well, _mean._"

It was true; Shaggy's eyes narrowed into malicious slits as he began to cross the street and walk towards us. His skin was a pasty, ghostly white, and he was even thinner than usual, if that was possible. In spite of his overly healthy appetite, Shaggy had always been a tiny guy, but in this world, he looked outright malnourished and sickly.

"Hey, man," the multiverse Shaggy called out to us as he drew closer and closer. Instinctively, Daphne and I took a step back, as though we were a magnetic force repelled away from Shaggy as he crossed the street. "Looks like you two are in, like, the wrong place at the wrong time."

A shiver rippled over me and Daphne gripped my hand even tighter, but I forced myself to breathe and stand up straight so the multiverse Shaggy wouldn't see me as someone to intimidate and bully. "Hey pal, what's the big idea?" I said, speaking loudly in hopes of conveying an intimidating, booming voice. "We're just passing through this town of your's, so we're actually on our way out. We aren't bothering anyone."

"Oh, I can see that," the multiverse Shaggy rasped, practically chuckling. He had made it across the street completely by now, and he was standing just a few feet before us. "And trust me, man, I like, do plan to let ya guys go on your way. But those backpacks you guys got there sure do look promising…"

Daphne's eyes widened and I felt my throat constrict as we realized that he implied to rob us. "Freddy, our vials are in these bags," she murmured so Shaggy couldn't hear us. "We can't let him take these!"

Daphne had been conspicuous, but the multiverse Shaggy was perceptive; immediately after she had finished whispering, and before I could even process what to do next, Shaggy surprised us by bursting out in laughter. "I had a feelin' you guys were, like, gonna resist," he cackled. "Luckily, I've brought some back-up."

In an instant I felt Daphne wretched violently from my side, and an overpowering forced shoved onto my back so that I fell hard onto the pavement, deflating the air from my chest and causing me to gasp in pain. I could hear Daphne screaming, but it sounded as though she were in the distance somewhere, and not just a few feet away from me as I stared up at the starless dark sky, dazed and overwhelmed. I shook my head in an effort to clear the fog from my mind, and I staggered back onto my feet, glancing towards Daphne as I did so. When my eyes clocked the stocky, burly teenager with unruly, red curly hair binding a squirming Daphne in his muscular arms, I felt the anger simmering beneath my chest, and I forced myself to speak the name of my childhood nemesis.

"Red Herring." I spat bitterly, coughing as though I had tasted something bitter. "Why are you and Shaggy doing this? I never would have pictured you two would be working together in any other world in all of existence!"

"What the fuck are you talking about, dude?!" Red Herring taunted. He squeezed Daphne even harder, and I could hear her rasping for breath and coughing, which caused my blood to boil and my heart rate to accelerate in my chest. "How do you know my name? I've never seen you before in my life!"

"Well, that solidifies the mystery of whether or not we were ever in our town," I thought to myself. "Unfortunately, I definitely know Red well back at home, and Shaggy – "

Shaggy spoke, jarring me out of my thoughts. "If you guys, like, won't surrender your backpacks, then my buddy and I are gonna, like, make your girl here pay for this."

"Freddy, don't do it!" Daphne rasped, her eyes wide with terror. "We can't afford to give them our backpacks, and besides, I don't trust them!"

"Do it, or else!" Red snapped, squeezing Daphne even harder and causing her to cry out in pain. His eyes were wide with a ragged, possessed energy, and I was suddenly hit with the smell of malt liquor, which rolled off Red in waves like a potent cologne. My heart tightened in my chest to think of how deadly and malicious Red was in his drunken state; if he was a bully back home, then it was only enhanced even further here, in this world where he and Shaggy somehow felt the need to scrap and claw at others for something as insignificant as a backpack. They were obviously desperate, and I wasn't about to risk the love of my life for this world.

Red strangled Daphne even harder, causing her to sputter, and without hesitating I slid the backpack off my shoulders and threw it towards Shaggy, who began to laugh as though he had heard the greatest joke in the world. In one swift motion he stooped down to retrieve the pack from the ground before he stood again and eyed me contemptuously. "See, was that so hard, buddy?" he asked with a snarl.

"Okay, I fulfilled my end of the deal," I barked, trying not to let my voice waver and wobble with fear. "Now you two scumbags need to let her go!"

Red and Shaggy both cackled at the same time before exchanging an indecipherable look. "Ya know what, punk," Red jeered. "I think we're gonna take her with us. She's a regular old damsel in distress, and besides, we really want to take her backpack with us, too!"

A wedge of panic struck me in the chest, and I ran towards Red in an effort to take him down, but Shaggy stepped towards me and swept his gangly legs beneath my feet, causing me to fly into the pavement before I could even reach Red. Instantly, I could feel my knees and elbows and chest singed with pain, and I knew that I was going to wake up to some nasty bruises in the morning – if I was lucky enough to wake up to another day at this rate, of course.

Red and Shaggy hooted and guffawed as I moaned in pain, eyeing me as I withered and attempted to scrape myself off the ground. When I was on my knees, Shaggy kicked me in the side, effectively sending me sprawling onto the pavement once more.

"This shit show is pathetic," Red sneered. "I'm ready to get going, Shaggy. Come on, princess, we've got plans for you, our little damsel in distress."

Even in my damaged state of mind, I raised my head to gauge Daphne's reaction, who resented being labeled the "damsel in distress" after the media had unfairly stereotyped her during our early mysteries. As I predicted, her cheeks were blooming crimson, indicating that she was growing red-hot with anger, and I saw her eyes blazing with rage.

"I'm not anybody's 'damsel in distress,'" Daphne grumbled, eyeing Shaggy and glancing up at Red as she spoke. "And I'm sure as hell not letting you ragdoll my boyfriend any longer!"

Red screeched with laughter again. "And just what do you think you're going to do about it, sweetheart?"

A second later Daphne drew her leg back and rammed her heel into his groin, causing him to moan. Quickly, she did it again, which forced Red to release her as he doubled over onto the sidewalk in pain. She kicked him once more for good measure before she turned her attention to Shaggy, who had already begun retreating.

"Ya know what, forget it, we're good here," Shaggy said as he eyed Daphne slyly. She was walking towards him, her fist raised as she trembled with rage, and he glanced at Red uneasily. "Come on, Red – we've got, like, one backpack, and we can just let these fine folks go on their way now."

Shaggy quickly stalked over to Red, pulling him onto his feet as he cried and moaned. Daphne kept her eyes trained on them the entire time as she walked over to where I laid crumpled and useless on the sidewalk, and she placed her hand comfortingly on my shoulder. She stood beside me that way, frozen, and we watched as Red and Shaggy turned their backs and withdrew from us both, sniggering until they were no longer in our sight.

As soon as they were gone Daphne dropped beside me and pulled my head onto her lap, and began running her fingers through my hair and sobbing. "Oh, Freddy!" she cried. "They just got away with our backpack and half of the drug supply! We need those to get back home!"

I cupped her face in both my hands and stared her in the eyes. "I know, but I had to do it," I said, my voice barely above a whisper as I strained against the pain shooting through my body. "I couldn't just let Red torment you like that."

She continued to cradle my head in her lap, and her eyes continued to mist over as she gazed at me. Around us, the evening had somehow become even darker, and more menacing, and there wasn't a single star stitched in the night sky. Slowly, with Daphne's help, I managed to raise myself up, cursing the pangs of pain I felt all over my body as I moved.

I didn't want to waste a beat and cause Daphne additional worry, so I took her hand in mine and began to speak, saying, "Okay, this is a setback, but we can't let that stop us. We may have to split the remaining vials that we have left, but we can still do this! I think we should go back to the box, and –"

"Fred Jones, not a chance!" Daphne replied adamantly. "We were just jumped and robbed by two people we know well in our world, and we both need a chance to recuperate and regroup. Plus, it's getting darker outside, and I don't want to chance it that we get jumped again. There's a hotel a ways back; I propose that we pool what money we have left to rest until morning, and leave when it's safe. We never did get to actually stay in the hotel in the previous world, and I'm not sure if I can put up with sleeping in that box for another night."

I paused, considering Daphne's point, and I knew that she was right; in my current battered state, sleeping on the cold metal floor of the box sounded unbearable, and it probably was smart to sleep for the night before we started blowing through the few drugs we had remaining…

I squeezed Daphne's hand and tried to smile as reassuringly as possible. "Okay – show me the way to the hotel you noticed."

* * *

"I'm sorry, but remind me one more time how writing all this down will actually help us find our way back home?"

A few hours later, Daphne and I were sitting side-by-side in a queen sized bed, swaddled beneath layers of stiff hotel bed sheets, but yet immensely grateful to be in an actual bed and not on the cold grated floor of the box once more. Daphne was tapping the end of a pen against her cheek and gripping a notepad containing the hotel's logo on the top margins as she pondered.

"It's really straight-forward, Fred," Daphne said, as if it were blatantly obvious. "One of the multiverse Velmas we met suggested that we are in control of the worlds we stumble upon based on our emotions, and we thought we had it all figured out then, but obviously we're doing something wrong here. I thought that we could chart out a description of each world in a sentence or two, and then we could recall what we were saying and feeling before we opened the door. Then, we can link the emotions back to the experience, and seeing it written down should help us learn how to modify the doors we find from here on out."

Hearing her explain it so matter-of-factly made logical sense, but I couldn't help but squirm; almost all of the worlds we had stumbled upon were a direct result of my sub-conscious. How was she going to react when she realized that I was the weak link here?

"Okay," I gulped uncertainly, deciding that it was best just to indulge her exercise; besides, at this point, there wasn't anything worse we could do for ourselves, anyway.

"Okay, world number one, the world with the ice storm and snow," Daphne began. On the notepad, in her loopy, flowery handwriting, she scribbled, "_World one: Lots of snow and cold and ice. _"And we already know we got there because we were talking about driving through a blizzard back home, so we literally conjured that with our dialogue. What was next, the Crystal Cove world, right?"

I nodded, my throat constricting as panic washed over me. On the notepad, she hastily wrote: _World two: Crystal Cove_, and I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief over the fact that she had omitted the actor the multiverse Daphne had dated and the Fred with the long, tousled beard; I was secretly worried that these were still significant trademarks that were branded in her brain.

"_World three_, _contagion," _Daphne wrote simply, and again I waited for her to recall that I was the one who had opened that door, but she said nothing, and continued to think out loud. "_World four, the meadow_, which now I can't help but wish we had actually investigated a bit since it was so peaceful, even though it clearly wasn't our home. _World five –_" and here she paused, chewing the end of the pen pensively, and I gulped again. "How do we even describe that world? I guess I'll just write down, _World five – Fake Fred._"

_Fake Fred. _The words reverberated and echoed in my mind like ripples in a pond. I knew that Daphne had intended to apply that to the multiverse Fred who had nearly torn us apart and even killed us, but I somehow couldn't help but think of how that applied to me as an artificial and inauthentic person, with my false bravado and my selfish need to explore the multiverse when Velma had unveiled her invention. This entire mess was directly derived from my desire to find a better life, and now we were paying for it. And not only that, but I had opened nearly every single door, and pushed us to investigate it every single time when we had nearly been killed, and I had –

"Freddy," Daphne stopped writing after _World six _as she stared at me, jarred from her thoughts, and I couldn't even imagine what my face must have been conveying in that moment. She placed the notebook and the pen onto the nightstand beside the bed and pulled me against her, guiding us onto our side so we could lay on the bed. "What's wrong, Freddy; you're trembling. Will you please tell me what's been bothering you?"

She began to tenderly run her fingers over my cheek, and when she cupped her hand on my chin I felt something loosen and explode inside of me, and I began to sob. "Daphne, there's something I have to confess to you," I began, the sobs wracking my entire body. "This- this is all _my _fault."

"_Your_ fault?!" Daphne echoed, confused. "I don't think I follow – how is this your fault?"

"There's something I should have told you a long time ago," I began. "Remember when you were accepted into college, just before Velma unveiled her invention? Well, that night, after she introduced the concept of the multiverse, I had a thought that I could talk to her about possibly going into the multiverse to see if my life could somehow turn out as successfully as your's did, and the rest of the gang. You guys all have these great dreams and ambitions, which is amazing, but I've got nothing. I know I still have mystery solving and all of our time together, but that's only another few months, and I'm not sure what to do after that all ends. Well, it turns out that the temptation and thought of entertaining a new life was realized, but now we're being punished for it, and worse yet, you're paying for this, too."

Daphne didn't say anything; she just continued raking her fingers through my hair, but I could sense her listening to every single world that tumbled out of my mouth, so I continued.

"And I hate what this multiverse has shown me," I said through hot tears. "I'm the one who's dragged us into every world because the box somehow is sensing that I'm weak and defenseless, and I didn't want you to know that that is why we aren't home yet. And worse yet, I've tried hiding my flaws and broken pieces and I've been failing at it, and you've been trying to comfort me, but I haven't let you because I didn't want you to see me so broken, so I've been pushing you away, and I'm worried that it's hurting us, and that sucks. I've just been trying and failing because I'm the leader back home, so I've been trying to push us onward, but now it seems like this box has finally revealed to you just how shitty of a leader I really am."

I buried my face in her neck as Daphne gripped my tighter, and she let me just sob for a few minutes as she held me close. I had thought that this release would make me feel even worse, but I was somehow beginning to feel even lighter, and I allowed myself to feel submerged in this emotion as Daphne held me and rocked me softly. I had expected Daphne to recoil against my admission of getting us into this mess, but maybe I had misjudged just how much she truly loved me.

Finally, Daphne pulled away so she could look me in the eyes as she spoke. "Freddy, those are all normal feelings!" she began softly, her thumb swiping the tears that flowed down my cheeks. "First of all, it is _not_ your fault that we are trapped in this hellhole; that blame should rest solely on the original multiverse Fred and Daphne. Every single person wonders if there is a 'road less travelled' that they should have taken at some point within their lifetime; hell, look at Velma! She's the one who created the box, and sometimes I wonder if it's because she had some curiosities of her own. And obviously the creeps who kidnapped us felt the same way too, or they wouldn't have uprooted us from our world and taken our home."

She continued talking, staring me in the eyes as she went. "And, if I am being completely honest, I was happy about getting into school, but I can't help but wonder if I want to reject mystery solving altogether, and if I'm making the right choices day-to-day, too. I have to admit, even I had a moment of curiosity when Velma unveiled that invention. So you need to stop blaming yourself for something you didn't do, Freddy; just look at the other worlds we've visited. I think it's telling that different versions of the multiverse gang have asked us if we were happy in our home world. It's a natural, normal human instinct."

I allowed myself to feel soothed by the feeling of her fingers caressing my hair as she spoke, and I couldn't help but ask, "But – even though you were accepted to your dream school, you still had doubts too?"

Daphne laughed and kissed my forehead. "Freddy, of course! I'm nervous as hell to leave for school. And by the way, just because you aren't going to college, that doesn't mean your life isn't going to be amazing and filled with value. You just need to find a replacement plan, or consider how you can continue solving mysteries, even if it's without some or all of us."

I tried not to dwell on this final part, and Daphne must have sensed this, as she continued, "And Freddy, you may see yourself as a flawed, horrible leader, but you aren't a bad leader, nor are you a terrible boyfriend. Sure, you may have flaws and insecurities, but who doesn't – it makes you human. And honestly, I love all of these things about you; I love the way you feel the need to protect those you love, even if it means you hurt yourself; I love the way you're terrified in so many mysteries, but you're selfless, and you don't let us see it; and most of all, I love how perfectly imperfect you are. And, believe it or not, I try to keep my broken pieces from you, too. I'm stubborn, and just as terrified, and I've always worried my place in the gang is unjustified and undeserved, especially in light of the way the media portrays me, but I know that you see past all of that and love me for who I am, just as I love you for who you are."

I was so overwhelmed and touched by everything Daphne was saying that I couldn't speak, so I cupped her chin with my hand and pressed my lips against hers. When we kissed, neither one of us closed our eyes; I felt like I could see through her, all the way down to her soul, and I loved what I saw.

"Daphne, thank you," I breathed. "I'm so sorry for the way I've been acting towards you these past few worlds. To be honest, it was so hard for me to see my worst nightmares come to life in the form of you dating someone else, and me failing Mystery Inc., in so many instances, and even seeing you and the gang dead from illness. I know I should have confided in you sooner when you asked what was bothering me, and I'm sorry I didn't give you a chance. Maybe if I had just told you how I was feeling, you could have reassured me sooner, and the multiverse Fred wouldn't have preyed on my insecurities and nearly succeeded in stealing you away from me. And the worst part about this whole thing has been that I promised to take care of you and protect you when we started, and I've done a shitty job doing it. I know that communication is important, no matter how vulnerable it makes me feel, and I see that now; I could have nearly broken our relationship from all the tension I've caused."

Daphne leaned forward and kissed me lightly on the nose. "Freddy, you've done a great job protecting me," she said. "You saved me from freezing to death, you saved us from being shot at in the contagion world with your driving skills, and you have saved us and kept us alive in other ways, too. And as for not being able to process everything, I completely understand. Our minds aren't wired to comprehend everything we've seen, and I appreciate you saying that you were too vulnerable to open up. But I think if our relationship has withstood all this, then we're ready for anything!"

I held her tight around me and she intertwined her legs against mine, and as we laid that way, I kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you for everything," I breathed. "I'm not sure what I did to deserve you, but I love you so much."

I leaned in to kiss her on the lips, but in an instant she pulled away and began to slowly climb on top of me, and carefully straddled my hips. I felt my heart gallop in my chest in anticipation as she leaned down and began loosening the buttons on my shirt, kissing my chest as she went along, and by the time she had snapped the fourth button, my shirt fell open, exposing my naked chest, which was marked with scrapes and bruises and cuts from the attack earlier, and from previous attacks in the multiverse. Daphne took her time kissing each bruise gently, and when she was done, she sat up straight and yanked the shirt off her chest, tossing it carelessly onto the floor.

"Wait," I grabbed her wrists in my hands to grab her attention, forcing Daphne to stop. I have to admit, even though she and I had been dating for a few months at this point, this was the furthest we had taken things physically so far; sure, we had some heavy make-out sessions, but nothing like this, and we had been contented to take things slow, and I had never wanted to impose rushing things. And even though we had fallen asleep together on numerous occasions, it was definitely never anything past just cuddling up and falling asleep together, so I wanted to ensure she was certain about moving onto the next level, even though she looked absolutely stunning as she straddled my hips in nothing but her skirt and her purple bra. "Are you sure about this? This isn't because you feel sorry for me or something, right?"

She responded by planting a soft kiss on my forehead, and rested herself on my chest so that we were skin-to-skin; I could feel the tension crackling between us like electricity humming through my body when our partially exposed chests touched, and I had never felt as close to her as I did in that moment. "Freddy, I'm sure," she said softly. "One thing this multiverse has taught me is that time is always fleeting, and we have to live our life in a way that we take every chance offered to us, and that we have to live regret free. I'll be honest; I'm not sure what's going to happen to us next, but if we die, I want to die at least knowing that I had this moment with you, and that I gave myself for the first time to the best guy in the world, and that I was with someone who truly loved me, inside and out."

I felt a wave of emotion and affection sweep over me as she spoke, and she kissed me on the lips once, and began to kiss my neck and shoulders again, saying as she went, "I love kissing you. I love how you make me laugh without even trying, and I love how you always taste warm, like cinnamon. I love sitting beside you in the Mystery Machine at the start of a new case, and I love how your brain works, and how it always thinks of the perfect traps. I love how you protect those who are closest to you, and I love how you always make me feel safe, whether it's when we're just lying in your arms, or when we're in the depths of a mystery and I'm too terrified to move, so you grab my hand and lead me to safety." She paused as she brought her mouth back up to mine, and then she smiled. "I love you more right now, in this moment, and in all the moments jumbled together that we spent in the multiverse, than I did even a few weeks ago, and I think that's saying a lot."

I couldn't suppress my excitement any longer, so in one swift, fluid movement, I enveloped Daphne in my arms and rolled her onto her back, so that now I was climbing onto her hips and lying on top of her. Surprised, she squealed with laughter as I kissed her lips and her forehead. I shrugged the shirt Daphne had loosened off my shoulders and tossed it onto the ground, and marveled at the way her fingers began to slide around my waist, and I brought my lips down to her neck so I could kiss her again.

"I love you so much," I said as I left a trail of kisses down her shoulder and neck. "I love how you're always there for me, no matter what, and how you're a good friend to Velma and Shaggy and Scooby, too. I love how you always reach for me instinctively during a mystery, and I love how you're such a bad ass and can seriously kick ass, even if some people don't see it." She laughed, openly and lightly, and I continued, "I love your ambition, and your smile, and your sense of humor, and I love how you're always concerned about me and how I feel." I kissed her again on the lips, and I smiled, adding, "And I just knew that you would be as beautiful underneath all these clothes as you are as beautiful of a person, Daph."

She smiled, tears brimming her eyes, and when we kissed on the mouth again it was laced with energy and passion and love. As she kissed me, she reached up to grasp my waistband, and began to unzip my jeans, which she did easily. I broke the kiss so I could help her slide the jeans off my waist, and I slid off of her so I could toss them onto the floor. She quickly unhooked her bra and unzipped her skirt, adding those to the pile of clothes on the floor, and we were both giggling as we struggled with our socks and then our underwear, getting all tangled in the bed sheets as we tried to shed every article of clothing.

Finally, we slid back beneath the warm covers, and we laid intertwined together, skin-to-skin, with nothing between us both literally and now metaphorically, and I had never felt so connected to her before, or anyone else, ever. I wanted Daphne so badly that I could barely stand it, but I forced myself to slow down and enjoy this one blissfully perfect moment we were granted in this multiverse, knowing that she was right and we may never have this again if we were to fail in finding our home. I ran my fingers over her body, committing every perfect curve and detail to memory, because I didn't want to forget this evening, just as I never wanted to forget any of the moments we spent together. When she slid her hands over my bare skin I felt as though my skin was on fire, and I shivered, enjoying the way her fingertips glided across my body delicately and slowly, as if she were savoring the experience, as well.

I rolled her onto her back again, and I shifted slightly, reaching into the dresser in hopes of finding a condom left by the hotel; luckily, there were a few nestled away in the back. After it was on, I wrapped my hand around the back of her neck so I could pull her closer, and she wrapped her arms around my back so she could draw me against her, as well. I brushed my lips against her neck and her cheek and her lips, and I shivered again as her fingertips slid down my spine and rested on my hips. We moved together like that for a long time, kissing and touching and teasing each other, until neither of us could stand it any longer. When she was ready I moved slow, careful to be sure she wasn't in pain, but it wasn't long before I was fully inside of her, and we were more connected than ever before. After I was inside of her, I told her that I loved her again, even though I had already said it too many times to count, and as I told her I thought I would choke on the words because I meant it in a way that made my heart ache. Her eyes welled up with tears, and she kissed me hard on the mouth, and rested her forehead against mine as we moved, and she whispered that no matter what would happen to us in the multiverse, she could go on knowing that now our souls would be conjoined by this experience forever.

I have to admit that this wasn't how I pictured our first time being this physically intimate together, nor let alone my (and ultimately, her) experience losing my virginity, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. The multiverse may be hell, but it showed me that we have to live every day to the fullest, and that we have to appreciate who we have when we have them in our lives. Even though I couldn't stand the idea of one day being separated by physical distance when she went away to school, I told myself that it didn't matter, because we were here together right now, alone in this room, universes from home but still together, exposing all our flaws and secrets to each other, and sharing this beautiful moment that honestly could not have been more perfect had we planned it.

Afterwards, I rolled onto my back and she rolled onto her side, and we laid enveloped in each other's arms, content and spent, but feeling more loved and safe than we had in days. I sighed as Daphne kissed me lightly once more on the cheek and murmured that she loved me before she laid her head on my chest, and a few minutes later, I heard the sound of her steady breathing as she was lulled into a restful sleep. I squeezed my arms around her and closed my eyes, soothed as she held me tight and rested against me. I closed my eyes, and I pretended that we could stay that way forever as I drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

A few hours later, I woke to the gauzy sunlight streaming through our windows, signaling the arrival of dawn. Daphne was still contoured against me, her head on my chest, and I watched her as she slept, looking so beautiful and peaceful and perfect. Her chest was rising and falling evenly as she slept, and her red hair was fanned around her face, and the sun was hitting her directly, making her appear more angelic than ever. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the notebook Daphne had been writing on abandoned on the night stand, and I reread her description of each world, noting that the current universe we were in, world six, still lacked a description. Carefully, I disentangled myself from Daphne, and as I stared at her I smiled, then I picked up the pen and wrote –

_World Six: I love you, beautiful_


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: **Thank you to everyone for the wonderful reviews on my previous chapter! Special shout-out to the guest reviewer, K, who has reviewed my story twice now and has completely made my day each time with such a thoughtful, lovely review! I am so glad you are all enjoying this. Here is a small update from me on this random Monday evening - as always, reviews are appreciated! - iamacliche

* * *

**Chapter 19**

"Like, I don't think I can watch anymore, Velma! Just turn it off, turn it off!"

Shaggy thrusted his arms in front of his face as if someone were attempting to physically attack him, and he was trying to protect himself from the blows. The security footage of Fred and Daphne being kidnapped by their multiverse dopplegangers continued to unfurl on Velma's television, but upon seeing the state of distress seared on Shaggy's face, Velma hastily raised the remote control and snapped the power off the screen while Scooby whimpered and cowered behind the couch, and Shaggy lowered himself onto the ground, slowly rocking himself back and forth as he stared ahead with blank, vacant eyes.

"Okay guys, it's off now," Velma reassured her friends softly. She turned away from the screen to face them, mentally noting the way Scooby was burrowing himself under his couch, as if he could physically remove himself from the situation and erase everything he had just witnessed, and the way Shaggy was still rocking back and forth anxiously, as if he were a child haunted by a recurring nightmare. Velma felt her heart tug in her chest; she hadn't intended on inducing such a strong emotional response from Shaggy and Scooby, but she couldn't honestly blame them since seeing the footage had made her literally feel ill. As she watched Shaggy's eyes well up with tears while he continued to make sense of what he just watched, Velma couldn't help but wonder what her friend was thinking of her now. Did Shaggy judge her for creating something so horrifying and so corrupt? She had to admit, when she had unveiled the invention, a small part of her had reveled in the cool, shy way Shaggy had praised her after the science fair, and even recalling the memory still made her blush. But even more than simply hoping to impress Shaggy, Velma truly did retain so much hope and promise for her invention and what it could have implied for the future of mankind. When she had unveiled the invention, she had high hopes; she wanted world peace; she wanted happiness; she wanted answers to the infinite amount of questions posed by people who felt lost and directionless every day. Only now, Velma was starting to see just how terribly she had miscalculated what this invention would bring, and she was starting to pay for it dearly.

Velma stepped towards Shaggy apprehensively, unsure as to whether she should comfort him, or leave him to his shock. Finally, she quietly mustered the courage to whisper, "Shaggy, say something. Please."

Shaggy picked up his head painstakingly slowly, as if his head were concrete and it burdened him to simply stare at her; Velma felt her heart sink like a stone.

"Like, where did you get this video, Velms?" Shaggy finally mumbled. "I don't, like, understand."

Velma sighed, feeling a fresh wave of hurt clawing through her chest when she remembered the multiverse Daphne dropping the video off just an hour (was it really just an hour ago?) before Shaggy and Scooby had arrived.

"That's the other half of the problem, Shag," Velma confessed softly. "It turns out we've been tricked. The Fred and Daphne we've been hanging out with these past few weeks are indeed the same culprits who kidnapped our real friends."

Velma watched Shaggy's eyes widen in shock and terror as he registered her words, and she could hear Scooby softly crying from beneath her couch. Shaggy absentmindedly patted the spot next to him on the carpet, beckoning Scooby to join them. A moment later the Great Dane dragged himself from beneath the couch and limped slowly over to Shaggy, plopping himself heavily onto the ground, as if he were so drained by the effort to move just a few feet. Again, Velma felt her heart constrict behind her chest.

"You guys, I am so, so sorry," Velma began. She could feel her cheeks flush with embarrassment and horror and hurt, and she blinked rapidly to bat away the tears that pricked at her eyes. "You have to believe me when I say that when I originally unveiled this, I intended to help Coolsville, not harm our friends. I can't believe I never foresaw something like this ever hap – "

Velma was interrupted by a soft, cautious knock at the Dinkley's front door; it was a knock that sounded timid and hesitant, as if the visitor was afraid of being ignored altogether, and Velma instantly knew that the multiverse Daphne had received Velma's text and returned to speak about the tape, as Velma had requested.

Shaggy must have known this as well, because his face twitched in shock and his eyes widened with terror. "Like, don't answer it!" he yelped, standing to his feet in an instant. Scooby, who was also suddenly revitalized, sprang onto all four of his legs, and the hairs on his back were raised and a slight growl simmered in his chest as he grew protective of his two friends.

"I asked her to come, Shaggy," Velma explained, walking to the front door as she spoke. She watched Shaggy and Scooby look at her incredulously; initially, their reactions stung, but she couldn't blame them. "They're probably questioning my decision making skills as of late, and I can't say I blame them," Velma thought to herself, then said aloud, "We deserve to have some answers, so I'm going to ask her. Since Daphne is the one who gave me the tape in the first place, I thought we should give her a chance to explain herself."

Velma swung the door open and came face-to-face with Daphne, who's appearance caused Velma to do a double-take. Normally, Velma's friend Daphne was meticulously put together; Daphne's makeup was always carefully and intricately applied, and her clothes were always crisp and smooth, and free of wrinkles. Now, as Velma took in the Daphne standing on the Dinkley's front porch, Velma was taken aback by this Daphne's blotchy, red face, indicative of Daphne's remorse and tears. And this Daphne was also nervous; as was the case when she had stopped by earlier, she didn't stop glancing all about her, as if she was being followed. The second Velma opened the door, Daphne's pale face turned even pastier, and she quickly whispered, "Hurry – please, can I come in? I don't want him to see us!"

Daphne shuffled into the front door and slammed it behind her before Velma could even muster up so much as a nod. As Velma watched Daphne sigh with relief, Velma felt a shiver snake down her spine, curious as to who caused Daphne this extreme degree of fear. Before she could even ask, however, Shaggy and Scooby were racing towards the front door, their faces puckered angrily.

"Like, how dare you!" Shaggy screeched, puncturing each word with his pointer finger, which he was wagging in Daphne's direction, as if she was a child or a dog being scolded. "You, like, oughta be ashamed of yourself!"

"Ra rah, rashamed!" Scooby echoed.

Daphne held her arms up in a sign of deference. "Hold up guys, I get it!" she began quickly. "I can explain myself."

"That's exactly why I called you over here," Velma interjected. "As you may have perceived, I just finished showing Shaggy and Scooby the clip. I think we have a lot of questions, but the first one is – why?"

Daphne glanced around at the three friends slowly, her eyes glazing over with tears, when Shaggy suddenly interrupted, exclaiming, "Hang on a sec, Velms! I'm, like, not so sure I'm about to believe a word she says! First of all, tell us why we should believe anything you say!"

For some reason Velma couldn't explain, she couldn't help but feel defensive of Daphne as the tears began to slide down her cheeks. "Shaggy, maybe we shouldn't – "

"It's okay, Velma," Daphne said softly. "He's right – of course he's right. And he is fair to ask that. I know my word doesn't mean much now, and I am so sorry for that, and I'm never going to forgive myself for it. But would you trust me if I said I have a lot to lose by coming forward with the truth?"

Velma felt goosebumps spread across her arms, and she shivered. "What do you mean by that?" Velma asked slowly, spooked by Daphne's ominous response.

Daphne sighed, swiping at the tears streaming down her face in an attempt to compose herself before she continued, "It's Fred – that is, my Fred. You know, the one I came here with? If he ever finds out I did this, then I – I…." Daphne's voice trailed off and she stopped talking as the implication hung between the group and fell to the floor, dead and unmoving.

Velma shook her head, bewildered. "I don't understand it; our Fred would never do anything to make you, or any of us for that matter, feel unsafe. Why would you ever feel as though you can't trust him?"

Daphne paused, reticent, and glanced down at the ground, silent before she finally responded, evenly and coolly, "You don't understand – my Fred isn't exactly like your Fred. You see, _he's_ the one behind the whole scheme, and yeah, I shouldn't have gone a long with it, but I was desperate. You see, back in our world, the five of us – we aren't exactly friends anymore."

Velma twitched as though she had been physically slapped in the face, and she noticed Shaggy and Scooby jolted in shock too; apparently, it had never dawned on any of them before that this was even a shadow of a possibility in any other universe. It had always felt implied that the five of them were steadfast, close friends, no matter what the circumstance.

"So what happened was that one day, we decided to disband Mystery Inc.," Daphne continued. "It was at Fred's behest, of course, since he was the leader, but no one was opposed to it. You see, back in our world, Fred is a big hot-shot, so at the time, he didn't think it would be so detrimental losing his friends and mystery solving, and Velma and Shaggy and Scooby were too hurt by the way he was alienating them as of late to try and stop him, so eventually, our group friendship dissolved. Since Fred and I are dating back in our world, too, I spent most of my time with him, or rather, he encompassed so much of my time – to the point where I lost my friends, or more specifically, you guys. I really began missing you all, especially you, Velma, to the point where I was desperate to do anything to get you back. And then, surprisingly, Fred found that he missed you guys too, but by then the damage had been done; it was obvious he was choosing a life of football and popularity over mystery solving and his 'less popular' friends at Coolsville High, and you guys felt too hurt to befriend us again, which was understandable."

Daphne paused, attempting to gauge Velma and Shaggy and Scooby's reaction thus far, but their faces were inscrutable. When Velma nodded gently, prompting Daphne to continue, Daphne began again: "And then one day, Velma invented the box with the multiverse, and everything changed. After it was unveiled, Freddy and I went to her and asked if it was possible to go back and change time and undone our past mistakes. When she explained that it wasn't a time machine so much as a literal roadmap with various alternate universes, Fred came up with the plan."

Velma felt her skin prick with goosebumps.

"I'm so, so sorry," Daphne began sobbing again, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks. "When he persuaded me to go, I knew I should have said no, but I missed you all so much, and we thought no one would ever find out. At first, my conscience didn't get to me because I enjoyed all the time I spent with you guys again, and I was happy to have you all back, but then Fred started getting kind of overpowering with all the mysteries, almost drunk off of the thrill and what he was missing. I've been worried that he is going to drive you guys away again, which I can already tell is happening from all this overwork and this constant need to be together, and I don't want to lose you guys a second time. And not only that, but the more I spend time with you three, the guiltier I feel. Lately, I can't stop thinking about your friends and what we did to them; sometimes, I can't sleep at night, and when I do, I have nightmares about Daphne screaming and crying, and Fred trying to protect them both, and knowing he was helpless to do anything. And seeing my Fred becoming more relentless in his desire to solve mysteries has me worried; I can tell that your friend Fred is the opposite of mine, and I think that eventually, you would have figured it out, so I'm here to come clean and help you guys with whatever you may need to make things right again."

Finally, Daphne stopped speaking and blinked at the three friends, awaiting a response; for once, Velma was speechless.

"Sorry, but like, I still don't trust ya," Shaggy said evenly. "How do we know you aren't going behind our backs?"

"I understand, I truly do," Daphne said, her face flushed with sadness. "But honestly, would I give you the DVD and tell you all of this if Fred and I were in cahoots? What do I have to gain by revealing myself to you after trying to hide it so carefully these past few weeks?"

"I think we should trust her, Shaggy," Velma said carefully. "I understand – believe me, I do. I'm hurt and I feel betrayed, as well, but I think we should heed what Daphne is saying as a warning. She is right; I have been observing Fred and Daphne carefully these past few weeks, and it is evident that Daphne has displayed feelings of remorse and guilt even before now, whereas Fred does not. I think this Daphne is a close copy of our friend, but the other Fred appears to be a binary of our Freddy."

"Like, what does 'binary' mean?" Shaggy asked, blinking in confusion.

"What I mean is that this Freddy is a direct opposite of our Fred," Velma clarified. "And it would make sense; the multiverse entails that there are different versions of ourselves that branch from moment to moment. From the way Daphne here is talking, it sounds as though they are in a world opposite of ours in many ways based off many different decisions they made compared to our world. As a result, we change and grow – or don't grow – based on the events in our lives, so naturally if this Fred has a completely different life, it is possible he is a completely different person. In fact, this fits my hypothesis that the multiverse contains a plethora of different personalities and versions of ourselves, all to various degrees and sev – "

"Okay Velma, I, like, think I get it," Shaggy cut Velma off before her thoughts plummeted the gang down a deep rabbit hole of intricate twists and turns. "So like, what next? Should you destroy that box immediately, so that like, no other people are kidnapped or what not? Like, what if this happens again?"

"He has a point, you know," Daphne said. "It is entirely possible there are other versions of all of us doing something similar; who knows who or what could emerge from that box next!"

"You guys, I can't just destroy the box right now!" Velma protested loudly, incredulous at the suggestion. "Our main priority now is to get our friends home; how will we ever manage that if we destroy the box? Right now, that box is the vehicle that will somehow bring us to our friends!"

Shaggy and Daphne and Scooby were silent, pondering and reflecting on Velma's point.

"Okay, that's true enough," Daphne conceded. "But how are we going to get them back? Are we really going into the multiverse to find them? That thing is so expansive! It took Freddy and I a few tries before we found this world. And besides, how will we slip away from Fred long enough before he figures out we're missing, and then finds out where exactly we went? That won't go over well at all, and he would find us quickly because he is great at navigating the box!"

Velma scratched her finger to her head thoughtfully. "You're right," she replied. "We need to hatch a plan to get our friends back, but I think we have to take care of your Fred first."

"But, like, how will we do that?" Shaggy asked.

Instantly, Velma's face lit up, and she beamed, staring at her friends warmly. As she stared them each in the eyes, she replied, "Easy – the same way Freddy would suggest ending any mystery, which is fitting because this is exactly what this is, would you not agree?"

Shaggy knit his eyebrows together in confusion. "Like, I don't follow."

For the first time in a while, the multiverse Daphne grinned, and she nodded as she met Velma's eyes. "I think I know where Velma is going with this."

Shaggy looked again to Velma for help, and the sweet, familiar rush that accompanied the satisfying tail-end of a mystery flooded through Velma as she exclaimed,

"We're going to set a trap for the multiverse Fred so we can capture him! Come on, gang – it's trap building time!"


	20. Chapter 20

**Author Note: **I guess this type of introduction is commonplace for me by now, but again, my deepest apologies for the delayed update. I promise that I haven't forgotten nor abandoned this story, and I am still so immensely grateful for those of you who have been reading and hoping for general updates. To make up for it, here is a bit of a lengthier update, and I promise, there is a definitive conclusion/end in sight! As always, feedback and reviews are greatly appreciated!

* * *

**Chapter 20**

I blinked my eyes, which narrowed into slits as my vision adjusted to the shafts of sunlight that spilled through the hotel blinds and casted shadows on the ground. Immediately, I felt warm and safe as I registered Daphne curled in front of me, sleeping. She was facing the windows and I was curved against her body, spooning her as her chest rose and fell slightly while she drifted peacefully between dreams. Lying beside Daphne felt electric; her completely exposed skin felt warm and smooth against my chest, and I burrowed my face into her neck, inhaling the scent of her hair. Despite the fact that my arm was already draped around her torso, I pulled her even closer against me and wished that I could lose myself in her body, as I had done last night.

A minute later I could feel Daphne shift and stir lazily, and she slowly turned herself over to face me, blinking sleepily as a smile slowly warmed her face. Seeing her smile gave me a light and airy feeling behind my ribcage, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Good morning, beautiful," I said, kissing her on the cheek. "How did it feel to finally sleep on a bed with a nice mattress instead of on that cold metal ground in the box?"

Daphne laughed, then groaned at the thought of returning to the box. "I never thought I would take sleeping in a bed for granted until we found ourselves in this multiverse!" Daphne exclaimed, sighing. "But when this is all said and done, and we're home safe and sound in Coolsville with our friends, I promise I won't ever make that mistake again!"

I paused, unsure of how to respond to Daphne's comment, which was so confident that we would indeed make it home again soon. Maybe she realized I had faltered, because she quickly slid her arms around my back and pulled me against her, and then she began to glide her hands over my exposed back and changed the topic, saying, "I wish we could wake up like this together every morning, Fred."

I responded by leaning forward and kissing her, once, on the lips; the kiss began as innocent and chaste, but then it deepened, and I was starting to climb on top of Daphne as she laughed and squealed when we were interrupted by an abrupt series of three knocks at our hotel room door. Startled, we froze, as if we had been caught stealing something that didn't belong to us, and then the knock commenced at the door again, loud and demanding and urgent.

Goosebumps slithered over my arms, as though a draft had just wafted over me, and I felt a sense of dark foreboding, which always happened whenever the gang and I were about to face something particularly troubling in a mystery. Daphne and I disentangled ourselves from each other and sat up in bed. She began reaching for a robe and sliding her feet into her slippers with a yawn, and said, "Don't worry about it Freddy, I'll see who it is at the door. I'm sure it's just housekeeping or something."

But in an instant I grabbed her arm and pulled her back down onto the bed, and as I did, the knocks reverberated within the room again, this time more persistent and louder than before. "No, stay here," I whispered tersely. "I'll go check it out. I can't explain it, but I have a weird feeling about this."

I snatched my jeans from the pile of clothes that pooled around our hotel bed and slid them on in a matter of seconds, and then I wriggled into my shirt. As I hastily threw on my clothes, the knocks returned, and somehow they were even louder and more insistent than before. I walked over to the door, and then I glanced at Daphne, who had a robe draped around her shoulders but was still naked. "Start getting dressed," I whispered. "I just have a bad feeling about this."

I placed my ear against the door in hopes of hearing who was on the other side, then called out, "Who is it?"

"Sir, this is the hotel manager," a muffled voice responded. "We need to discuss an issue with your hotel room bill: please open up the door immediately."

A tingling sensation began to snake along my back and down my spine, and again, I was filled with a sense of dread and unexplainable anxiety. I slid my hands against my jeans, my palms sweaty and my heart racing. Then it slowly dawned on me that the voice sounded strangely familiar –

"Freddy!" Daphne hissed from the other side of the room. "Why don't you check the peep hole?"

I shook my head, silently berating myself for not thinking of that before I had betrayed our presence by responding. When I leaned forward and squinted into the peep hole, I couldn't stop the gasp that flew from my mouth when I saw who was waiting outside.

Standing outside our hotel room was me and Daphne; or at least, some other multiverse versions of ourselves. They looked identical to us, except they had clearly been through some recent turmoil. The multiverse Daphne had noticeable cuts and scrapes slashed across her face, and her right sleeve was ripped from her shirt. Her tights had a huge slit down the side, and she was even missing a shoe. The multiverse Fred reflected the multiverse Daphne's rugged appearance, only somehow he was even more obviously unkempt. He had a huge bump that swelled on top of his forehead, and his shirt was completely torn down the middle. Like Daphne, he too was decorated with cuts and scrapes all over his face, and like Daphne, he didn't look too pleased to be standing in the hallway.

I watched as the multiverse Fred tried to coax us again, and he called, "Sir, you must open immediately; this is a serious problem."

I stood there, my mouth gaping open, and in an effort to buy us some time to think, I responded, "Okay, be there in a second!"

I continued watching through the peep hole as the multiverse Daphne shot a glance at the Fred, and I could just manage to hear her whisper, "Do you really think they'll open up the door? And how do we know they even have a backpack on them? Maybe they got jumped by someone in this messed-up, run-down version of Coolsville, too."

"I guess we don't know that for sure," the other Fred said, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "But we have to give it a try. The hotel said there is a Fred and Daphne staying here, so for now, jumping them for their backpack is our best bet. And if they don't have one, at the very least, I want their hotel room; I'm sick of sleeping in that box!"

I had heard enough to surmise what was happening; like us, this version of Daphne and I had been jumped by someone in the city, only instead of losing only one bag, they had apparently lost both, and now they were desperate to make up for their losses. My heart palpitating in my chest, I staggered backwards, and turned towards Daphne, moving slowly but swiftly, and quietly.

"We need to get out of here!" I whispered frantically. "The multiverse just caught up with us again: there's a version of ourselves standing outside, and they want to jump us for our backpacks. We need to escape through the window, now!"

In an instant, Daphne leaped off the bed and was pulling her clothes on, and she was fully dressed in a matter of seconds. If I had the time, I would have admired her ability to comprehend such shocking news in an almost nonchalant yet efficient manner, but at this point, it was safe to say that our threshold for surprise had been re-evaluated during our time in the multiverse. Meanwhile, I seized our backpack off the ground and tossed the notebook that was on the nightstand into the open sack, zipped up the bag, and slung it across my shoulders. Daphne was already at the window, flinging open the curtains and sliding the latch to unlock it. I was right behind her, but we both paused, unnerved at the sudden noise of a huge weight being thrown against the door.

"That's it, we've given you two enough time!" I heard the multiverse Fred shrill from the other side of the door. "You have left us no choice but to bust open your door now!"

I gulped as my heart knocked behind my ribcage even faster, and I turned to Daphne. "The door is going to fly off the hinge in a minute at the rate those two are going," I said. "We have to head straight to the box from here!"

Daphne nodded once; she slid through the open window and dropped silkily to the ground in an instant. I was behind her a second later, but as I stood on the window sill I heard the deafening sound of the door flying off the hinge, and I flinched, turning towards the entrance of the room. When my eyes met the multiverse Fred's eyes, he raised a shaky hand and pointed at me, then narrowed his eyes into slits as he spat, "Get. Them."

I dropped to the ground and grabbed Daphne's hand, pulling her along through the streets, not daring to look back out of fear for how close Fred and Daphne were behind us. I could hear Daphne panting as she struggled to keep up with me, so I squeezed her hand and called back to her, "Just keep going – we aren't far from the box!"

I navigated us down the street, zigzagging past angry citizens walking dogs or teenagers who swaggered and swayed as uneasily as newborn calves, clearly still drunk off the alcohol they had indulged the night before. I thought about chancing a glance behind us to gauge how much distance was between us, but then I heard the sound of the Fred and Daphne attempting to tell us to stop, and they sounded too close for comfort. Luckily, when we turned down another side street, the box was just a few feet ahead of us.

"STOP! We just want to talk to you!" The other Daphne implored, but we ignored it as we barreled down the street and moved towards the box. In an instant we were upon the box, and Daphne and I both slammed our shoulders into the door frantically, willing it to open more fluidly than usual, and sighing with relief when it shuddered open in a matter of seconds. The moment it creaked open, Daphne shimmied past the door, grabbing my arm and pulling me inside, and the last sight I saw was the Fred and Daphne just six feet away from us as we slammed the door shut behind us with a resounding bang. Immediately, we could hear them knocking and scraping and attempting to unlock the door; luckily, I recalled Velma saying that the box was sealed for at least ten minutes after it was opened, but that didn't give me too much comfort as to what could happen if we waited around any longer to see them. Quickly, I slid the backpack off my shoulders and grabbed two vials, passing one to Daphne, and in a second we drank the drug and were moving down the hallway as it expanded and moved before our very eyes.

It wasn't until the multiverse had swelled into its all too familiar corridor before Daphne and I doubled over in an attempt to catch our breath. "Jeepers, that was too close, Freddy!" Daphne said, coughing. "What do you think happened to them?"

I took a breath, attempting to calm my heart, which was still fluttering in my chest. "I heard them saying they wanted our backpack," I said. "I think they were kind of like that Fred that gave us trouble awhile back; they were similar to us in that they are trapped in the box too, but they must have followed just a little after us and been jumped by someone else. Apparently, that version of Coolsville was pretty rough compared to our home town."

"So they must have been another version of us right up until recently?" Daphne reasoned, and I nodded. She shook her head, amused. "Wow – it sure is strange how many versions there are of us running around this multiverse. It scares me to think that some of them are so similar to us, right up to the fact that they shared the same path as us until just a small split in the road, so to speak. But I can't believe how they were so similar from us, and yet so different too."

"What do you mean?" I asked, knitting my eyebrows together in confusion.

"Well, I don't think I could ever see myself hurting other versions of ourselves just to get back home, Freddy," Daphne said nervously. "But they obviously had no issue with it, so it makes me wonder – is that horrible instinct ingrained in us somehow? Would we act just as horribly as they are, or as selfishly as that Fred, if we were given the chance?"

I stared at Daphne and saw that her eyes were glassy as she spoke, and I realized it was seriously upsetting her. I reached out and took her hand, and attempted to offer her a reassuring smile. "Hey, you know we aren't like that," I said. "It's just that there are some versions of us who are desperate enough to do desperate things, just like the original versions of ourselves who kidnapped us. But that isn't like us, and we're going to get home in an honest and safe way! But I get it though, because it is really crazy to see all these different versions of us, and I'm ready for this nightmare to end already," I agreed. "Now come on – we better get moving before this collapses on us. I wish we had more time to rest, but I guess that's just the way it is at this point."

"At least we had the chance to rest overnight," Daphne murmured as we walked, passing mahogany door after door. "But I will be so happy when we can have more than a few hour's peace again!"

We continued walking down the hallway, and I paused in front of a random door as I realized something. "Daph, didn't you say you wanted to try and write about home for the next door? Maybe we could try that now; I mean, it would make sense. I know that when I'm writing, I focus all my attention on the ideas that are floating in my mind."

No sooner had I said this than we heard the familiar slurping noise gurgling at the end of the hallway as doors began to disintegrate and decay right before our own eyes. Daphne gripped my hand and started crossing to the door ahead of us, yelling, "Maybe in the future we will Fred, but for now let's just keep moving!"

Daphne turned the handle of the door closest to us and it swung open, and we walked through the threshold, blinking in the sunlight. As my eyes adjusted, I could see the city slowly come into focus, and it was immediately clear that we still weren't in our home Coolsville.

The door shut behind us as we stepped forward, gently nudging us against our legs, as we surveyed the city. It was immediately apparent that, yes, we were in Coolsville from the sign that welcomed us to town, but the sign was no longer the rustic, wooden sign that had signified a warm, tight-knit community. The new "Welcome to Coolsville" sign was over sixty feet tall and about eighty feet wide, and surrounding the border of the sign was a string of blinking white fluorescent lights. The font for the city was written in a bold, bright red font, and the name of the town would wink on and off every few seconds. But even more astonishing than the sign was the city itself. Even from the outskirts of town, I could discern that Coolsville was no longer comprised of the modest sized homes and small but inviting business buildings; now, in its place was a skyline akin to what one would see in Chicago or Detroit or other heavily populated, touristy cities in the country. The buildings woven within the skyline were all slender and glistened in the sunlight, and constructed of glass and steel so reflective that they almost appeared to be invisible. I stared at the buildings, my mouth gaping open, and I couldn't help but wonder if I was seeing a mirage.

Daphne tugged my sleeve, jolting me out of my reverie, and pointed a hand towards the sky, exclaiming, "Freddy, look up there!"

I tilted my head up at the sky and flinched; if the skyline had surprised me, the sight of what filled the sky was even more astounding. The sky was filled with moving objects of all shapes and sizes and colors, and closely resembled the hover cars that I remembered seeing on the television show _The Jetsons, _which was a series I used to love watching as a kid. I gazed, mesmerized, and watched as the hover cars crisscrossed and looped around each other; some accelerated vertically, straight up into the deep blue sky with no sign of stopping, while others dipped towards the ground, ascending slowly and cautiously before vanishing out of sight, presumably so the driver could park.

I shook my head, struggling to comprehend what we were seeing, and I leaned towards Daphne and said, "How-how did we bring ourselves to this world?! It looks like a futuristic world of some sort!"

Daphne smirked, replying, "Maybe it's because I said we should use the notebook for picking the next door in the future, and this door picked up on me simply saying 'the future?' I mean, that's all I can come up with, anyway, as it was the last thing I said to you before I opened the door. But honestly, I'm not complaining right now; I'm kind of curious about this place. It looks so neat here!"

"I'm curious about this place, too," I admitted. "But I'm also worried. If I've learned anything in this box, it's that almost all of these worlds will try to kill me in some way. If we're going to stay here and explore a world that obviously isn't our own, we have to rationalize our intent for staying here. I know we can't keep burning through the few vials we have left, but we also can't keep risking our lives and remaining in worlds that obviously aren't our own from the start!"

Daphne turned towards me and cocked an eyebrow. "Oh Freddy, I think it's safe to say this may be the most helpful world we've visited thus far! I mean, look at how technologically advanced this world is, and we just got here! Don't you think that if they're this smart and tech savvy, then there is a chance they may have something we can use for the box? Like maybe some sort of invention?"

I could feel the smile stretching across my face as I marveled at Daphne's connection. "Okay, and let's say you're right about that," I said. "Who would we even speak to regarding some sort of invention that can help us get home?"

Daphne smirked and casted a glance at the box behind us, gesturing at the multiverse. "Who else, except for the very same person who invented this box in the first place?"

* * *

Okay, I had to admit it – this had to be the coolest world we had found ourselves in thus far.

After Daphne and I agreed to seek out the Velma of this world, hoping against all hope that she did indeed still live in Coolsville and hadn't somehow moved away at some point, we walked through the city and admired the technological advancement of this world. Once we entered Coolsville, we passed a digital, interactive map in place of the wooden one that marked our home world. As we studied the map, a hologram illuminating a blonde, slim, middle-aged woman flickered to life just beside the map. She bowed politely to us, welcoming us to the city. Initially Daphne and I both bristled, somehow fearful that she was addressing us directly, but it quickly became apparent that she was some sort of program when she began to rattle off unknown and interesting facts about the city, such as that the town was one of the richest and most successful in the area, all due to the influence and contributions of one successful teenage scientist – _Velma Dinkley_.

"Bingo!" Daphne beamed. "Well, there's our answer – now we need to find Velma and speak to her ASAP!"

Luckily, as if the blonde woman had anticipated our wish to see Velma, she said that Velma Dinkley worked out of the Coolsville Science Center, but that she often gave public lectures and speeches frequently, and the holographic woman suggested we check local advertising for the next event.

"We need to get to that Science Center, but I'm not sure where that would even exist in this city since we don't have one back home," I mused. "It sure is crazy how each Coolsville we have seen so far is unique in its own little way."

Daphne tapped the map and slid her fingers along the screen before exclaiming, "Okay, I found it – we just have to take the skyrail to the other side of the city to get there!"

Before I could inquire about what she meant by a skyrail, which we definitely didn't have back home, Daphne pointed again to the sky, and I squinted against the sunlight and saw a series of elegant Y-shaped structures that almost resembled train tracks that stretched across the sky, or the monorail ride I went on with my parents when we took a trip to Disneyworld when I was ten. Turning, she took my hand and we walked briskly towards a platform, mentally following the path emblazoned upon the map.

Once we reached the platform, we huddled under the overhang, pressed shoulder to shoulder against other people who were most likely waiting for a skyrail ride, as well. As we waited, the same female voice who had spoken to us from the hologram blared over the speakers overhead, urgently commanding passengers to stand clear of the line, as a train was going to arrive momentarily.

"A train?" I thought, glancing up and down the line. "But I don't see anything coming…"

And then I heard the voice counting down: "Five…four…three…two…"

Just then, a blue blur of incoming movement rocketed down the line, and shuddered to a stop as the voice concluded her countdown. Standing before us was a sleek, polished ten-car train, similar to a train back home. The doors glided open smoothly, and again the computerized voice commanded us, "Please wait to board on green, after all of the other passengers have disembarked."

As if on cue, a flood of people merged out of the train, moving past us fluidly and only knocking against me or Daphne occasionally, despite the fact that each person was gazing straight ahead intensely and didn't seem to pay anyone else any mind. After the last person detrained, the panel of red light glowing above each of the open train doors switched from red to green.

"You may now safely board for Downtown Coolsville: next stop, Coolsville Science Lab," the automatic voice instructed us.

Daphne and I shared a glance, and in spite of everything we had endured over the past several days, I grinned. We stepped into the first car, which was almost emptied after everyone had swarmed off the train. But the few people who did remain on the train were not standing as one might on a monorail, or sitting on stiff leather seats, but were rather strapped into chairs that resembled some sort of seat you would see on a spaceship in a science fiction movie. The word "vacant" hovered above each seat, underscoring the availability of the train, and Daphne and I moved up the aisle, deliberating where we would sit, when the automated attendant again commanded to us, "Please select a seat. The train is unable to depart until everyone is safely seated and buckled."

Daphne and I shrugged at each other again as we claimed two seats together near the front of the car, just behind a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair who appeared to be around my father's age. When I leaned back, padded restraints emerged from the chair and gently secured my shoulders and waist, securing me in place for the ride.

"Why do I feel like I'm about to ride a roller coaster at Cedar Pointe?" Daphne asked me nervously, gulping.

I had no answer for her as the woman spoke, "Head back against your seat, please. We will depart in three…two…one"

Immediately the train lurched forward, intense but smooth, and immediately fast-paced, but not to the point where I felt nauseous. The acceleration shoved me deep into the cushioned seat for a couple seconds, and I heard Daphne inhale sharply in surprise, but a moment later we were floating along effortlessly, gliding at an inconceivable speed, yet with no friction beneath us. I glanced outside the window as we moved, but the city and the buildings flew past us in a blur, too fast for me to actually process anything that I was seeing.

"Jeepers," Daphne gasped. "This is quite different from any other train ride I've ever had before!"

The man in front of us turned as much as the padded restraints allowed him, so we only saw the side of his profile when he addressed Daphne, asking, "You aren't from around here, are you?"

We both jumped, unsure of how to respond, but he just laughed good-naturedly and said, "It's okay, no need to be embarrassed; anyone from Coolsville can always tell when someone is visiting from out of town because they aren't used to the skyrail. I always forget that this baby hasn't been implemented worldwide yet, but I'm told that soon enough this will be a staple of transportation everywhere! And it's a good thing, too, because there are more and more hover car accidents happening lately."

"Wow, you don't say," I replied absentmindedly but politely, still attempting to process that the man had just told us that Coolsville was now considered some sort of technologically advanced city to the point where this kind of luxury was apparently a rarity.

"Yup, and we have good old scientist Velma Dinkley to thank for so much of our advancements," the man continued. "I can't believe just how smart she is for someone so young!" Daphne and I exchanged a glance, and Daphne arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah, we are actually hoping to meet Velma today!" Daphne replied, eager to gain some information from our new acquaintance. "We have heard about all the great things she has contributed to the city, and we're hoping to catch one of her lectures!"

"Well, you're in luck, kids," the man replied. "I heard she is giving a lecture later today; in fact, it begins in just under an hour. Normally you wouldn't make it at this point by hover car, but this skyrail hauls so fast, you'll be there in no time!"

As if to punctuate the man's point, the track suddenly dropped, and the train careened downward, barreling through the sky faster and faster. Startled, Daphne began to scream, and I reached for her hand as I attempted to ignore the way my stomach plummeted and my eyes watered. The train screamed through a tunnel, submerging us in complete darkness, but three seconds later we emerged from the dark and found ourselves blinking against the sunlight again. Stunned, I gripped the sides of my chair, and I fleetingly wondered if this was really a train, or some ride at an amusement park when the train slammed to a sudden stop, and I felt myself flung against the back of my seat.

Overhead, the female attendant announced, "Coolsville Science Lab!"

Daphne swiftly unbuckled and stood as the restraints released her and melted into the seat, and I noticed her knuckles were white and her face was pale. "I think that even if this wasn't our stop, I would be getting off no matter what," Daphne proclaimed. "C'mon, Fred – let's get outta here!"

I politely said good-bye to the man we had spoken to as I followed Daphne off the train. We immersed ourselves in the middle of the crowd of passengers who were also exiting the train, and we allowed the swarm to carry us through another platform, only this one was even larger than the one where we had waited for the train; somehow, it was just as magnificent as a station one would see in New York, with a ceiling that resembled oblique glass so that the sun passed through and diffused into the hall, projecting shapes and patterns of light onto marble walls. The space around us was brimming with people, and many of them were talking to themselves, carrying on intricate conversations as though someone was standing next to them, presumably because they were talking on a cell phone that was invisible to the naked eye.

Daphne and I ascended up a sprawling waterfall of smooth, marbled stairs, and found ourselves pushing through the doors and standing on the street. Just across from the platform terminal was the Coolsville Science Lab, which was evident by the sign and the throngs of people clustered around outside, jostling to get inside for Velma's next lecture. As was the case with the rest of this advanced Coolsville, the Science Lab was startlingly tall and slim, and I stared up at the sky, blinking, and wondered if it was almost as tall as the Willis Tower in Chicago, which my grandfather had taken me to visit when I was a young boy.

Daphne grabbed my hand and lead me across the street, joining the line of people hoping to gain access to Velma's lecture. Already, the line was inching into the building, and we were just a few feet away from the entrance of the science lab.

"So what are we going to do once we're inside?" Daphne murmured quietly, glancing around to ensure no one was paying attention to our conversation. "We need to find a way to speak to the multiverse Velma in private. I have a feeling that this town is so tech-obsessed that they may want to try and study the box or even us, so we'll have to be careful if we don't want to be caught!"

I paused, dwelling on Daphne's words and realizing for the first time that she was right; even though the danger here wasn't as obvious nor as lethal as the previous worlds, there was every chance that this world would want to detain us and keep us from getting home simply because we had an advancement that would make them salivate. "You are right," I conceded." But what we also need to concern ourselves with the chance that the Velma here may already have a friendship with the versions of ourselves who live in this world, and if they see us and think we're clones or something, they are going to freak out. I think we should hang back and watch her lecture, and then go from there."

We stepped through the sleek glass doors that served as the entrance for the Coolsville Science Lab, and Daphne nodded. "Okay, good plan! We'll stay conspicuous until we can size up the situation and speak to her privately."

We allowed ourselves to be swallowed up by the crowd as it carried us into a room that resembled an auditorium, with rows of red plush chairs that cascaded all the way towards a stage. Suddenly Daphne gasped and tugged on my shirt, pointing to the stage – there stood Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby, only each of them looked vastly different from our friends back home. The Velma here had long, brown hair that fell in relaxed, wavy locks around her face, and Shaggy was completely bald, the stage lights reflecting off his bare head. And Scooby was standing up easily on his two back legs as he walked gracefully, shaking hands with members of the audience and speaking perfect, clear English. Around his neck was a white collar with a box, and whenever he spoke, the box would emit a soft, warm glow. All three of them were dressed in crisp white lab jackets, as if they belonged in a fancy science laboratory.

"It looks like our friends are here, but I don't see versions of us, or at least not yet," I whispered to Daphne. "We better sit in the back row just in case."

We claimed seats in the very back, doing our best to keep our heads ducked low so we could blend in with the crowd. No sooner had we slouched into our seats than Velma stepped towards a mic and tapped it twice, then announced, "If everyone could please find your seats, then the lecture will begin momentarily!"

The sound of feet shuffling and chairs squeaking filled the auditorium, and a few minutes later Velma smiled and spoke into the mic again, saying, "Thank you, and welcome to this week's lecture delivered from Coolsville Science Lab. As you may know, I'm Velma Dinkley –" And here Velma was interrupted by loud, cheerful screams that ejaculated from the crowd, and she beamed, looking as confident as a cheerleader standing on the top of a stacked pyramid. She gestured towards Shaggy and Scooby and continued, "And as you may know, these are my assistants, Norville Rogers and Scoobert Doo. With my recent invention of Dog-O-Bot, Scoobert 'Scooby' Doo now has the function to fully communicate orally in ten different languages, whereas before he spoke in broken, indecipherable English. But that invention is not why we are here today. Today, I am going to be outlining something new for you all, something that I have been toiling over for months now, and it is something I hope to release to the general public very soon."

Velma pulled a sleek remote from her coat pocket and aimed it at the projector screen, and it flashed to life to reveal an illustration of a cat sitting inside a box. Instantly Daphne and I jerked, as if we had been slapped across the face. I could feel my head swimming and the blood draining from my limbs, and when I glanced at Daphne, she was paling, too.

"Oh God, Freddy," she whispered. "I'm getting a wild sense of déjà vu here…"

"For years, it has been human nature to constantly look back and question what would have been if we had only walked a different path," Velma explained. "This has been a prominent theme in art and literature alike: Robert Frost pondered and speculated what awaited him in 'The Road Not Taken,' and in _The Bell Jar, _we see Sylvia Plath's protagonist, Esther Greenwood, view her life as a fig tree branching off with endless options and possibilities for her future, and Esther laments that she struggles to choose only one path for her life."

"Jesus Christ," I whispered back to Daphne. "It's even the same exact spiel she gave back at home!"

"We all know there is no way of ever finding out what would have awaited us had we chosen another route, but what if I told you that it is now possible to discover what you missed had you chosen a different option?" Velma said, smiling as the audience began to murmur and speculate with delight. "To understand more clearly what I am saying, picture this: imagine yourself as a fish, swimming in a pond. In your mind, that pond you are swimming in encompasses your entire universe. Now, imagine that someone standing over the pond reaches down and lifts you out of the pond. As you rest in the palm of this person's hand, you can see your pond, but you also see other ponds scattered around you, too. It's then that you realize that when you thought your pond was the only single universe, you were mistaken, which is illustrated by the other ponds that pool around you. Essentially, all of the other ponds are just as real as your own world, existing separately from your own experience, right at this moment. As you consider this, you are overwhelmed with the realization that you are part of a much larger reality than you could have ever hoped and dreamed."

As I sat in my seat listening to Velma, I felt my insides coil and uncoil like a fist, and my breath was staggered, as though I had just run a marathon. My heart rate was quickly accelerating and my thoughts were racing. I felt as though a scream was building and festering inside my ribcage, and I bit my tongue until I could taste the sharp metallic taste of blood as I suppressed the urge to scream.

Velma smiled again, her teeth white and gleaming and bright, and she began, "Well ladies and gentleman, I admit invented a way to access the –"

But I couldn't hear any more of what she had to say; as if some spirit or force had stepped inside my body and gained complete control of my limbs and my mouth, I sprang out of my seat and screamed, "But life isn't meant to be lived this way! There isn't a reset button for a reason, and you don't realize the potential danger you're exposing these people to!"

The auditorium exploded into loud protests and boos and shouts as heads swiveled towards me, taking in the sight of a young man with wild, tormented eyes who was red and sweating and shaking. Daphne frantically grasped my shirt in an attempt to pull me into my seat, whispering, "Freddy! This isn't exactly being inconspicuous…"

But it was too late; on stage, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby all gasped audibly, and I could hear Scooby saying in his perfect, unbroken English, "I don't believe this – it's them! They have returned!"

Before Daphne or I had a chance to question Scooby, Velma pointed at us from the stage and spoke into the microphone, "Guards, please seize those two and bring them backstage so I may have a word with them! Do NOT let them leave! As for everyone else, we will have an indefinite intermission, and Coolsville Science Lab will be back with next week's lecture on string theory."

Daphne looked at me with panic in her eyes, and before I could yell at her to run, we were violently grasped by two brawny security guards, who wrenched us out of our seats and pulled us down past rows of people, who were now cheering and applauding the fact that we had been detained, much to Daphne's annoyance, who was rolling her eyes and snapping at the guard for grabbing her arm too tight. I looked at the two guards detaining me and tried reasoning with them, but they only gripped me even harder and jostled me down the stairs. One of the guards gripped my neck uncomfortably, and I narrowed my eyes at him, yelling, "Hey man, watch the ascot!"

A minute later we were backstage staring at the multiverse Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby. Daphne and I squirmed in protest against the guards. "What do you want me to do with them, boss?" One confining me asked Velma.

"Um, just leave them here please Jonathan, I will handle them!" Velma said authoritatively. The men released me and Daphne abruptly, shoving us forward slightly towards the gang so that we staggered a bit. Daphne shot the guards an unforgiving glare as the men swaggered away.

The second the men were gone, Scooby leapt towards us and licked us both on the face profusely, and Shaggy and embraced us both, crying and saying, "Like, it's you guys! I, like, can't believe you're back!"

"Norville, I told you to stop saying _like_ after every other word – it makes you sound ignorant!" Velma snapped.

Shaggy stepped back and blinked at Velma, astounded. "Velms, listen to yourself! Like, you've gotta stop being like this; this is the exact reason why you drove them away from us in the first place!"

I held up my hands in defeat and confusion. "Hold up, someone please tell us what is happening here!" I said.

"Yea, because I don't think we're who you guys think we are," Daphne said with a hint of melancholy and caution both laced in her voice.

Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby all blinked at us in confusion. "But what do you mean by this?" Scooby asked, the box on his collar glowing as he spoke. "You're our best friends, Daphne and Freddy. You guys left here months ago, when the city became more advanced, because the three of us didn't have time for you anymore. Is this some kind of a joke?"

Daphne and I exchanged a look, and she turned to them with a sad smile. "I swear to you this isn't a joke, but how much time do you guys have while we explain everything?"

* * *

Two hours later Daphne and I had finally finished telling the entire story of the multiverse and each of the worlds in alternating turns, each of us telling the multiverse gang of the highlights we had experienced in each world. The entire time we spoke, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby had listened, mostly emotionless and stoic, with the exception of fear reflected in their eyes when Daphne and I told of a particularly frightening moment. When we finally sped them up to the moment that had brought us to this point, Daphne turned to them and said, "So we are here because we were hoping this world might have an invention for us to use in the multiverse. I guess we saw how technologically advanced this place was, and we were hoping you could invent something for us to get home. As you can imagine, we're having a difficult time finding the one door out of millions, and it's starting to feel impossible."

Velma didn't say anything, so I stepped forward and said, "I think I owe you an apology, Velma; I didn't mean to react so strongly during your lecture. It's just that after everything Daphne and I have been through, I couldn't sit through another unveiling without stopping you and making you consider what you were doing; I can't imagine contributing to the chaos and trouble that's already been brewing."

Velma finally sighed, and we watched her tough exterior melt before us as her gaze flitted between us sadly. "I can't believe I thought I could create an invention to get my friends back when all I really did was hurt yet _another_ version of them, albeit a multiverse version!"

Shaggy wrapped an arm around Velma's shoulders rather intimately, and I saw Daphne raise her eyebrows towards me and mouth, "They're in love here, too!" In spite of everything, I smiled.

"Velms, don't beat yourself up over this," Shaggy said softly. "Fred and Daphne had a choice to leave; like, you didn't drive them away. I'm sorry I said that earlier, but I didn't mean it."

"Do you think you guys could fill us in on what you're talking about?" Daphne asked. "I heard you say that Velma drove us away earlier, and you and Scooby reacted to us as though we hadn't seen you in so long. What's going on with the Fred and Daphne in this world?"

Scooby sighed softly and began, "In this world, our Fred and Daphne have moved away after the three of us devoted all of our waking hours to inventing and spending so much time in the science lab. The five of us were once mystery solving teen sleuths, just as you guys were in your home, but then that slowly disintegrated when we became more and more engrossed in our work, and ultimately, it tore us apart. Actually, this is how the idea of a multiverse came about here. Velma wanted to try and find a world where we were all friends again. I promise that we weren't going to kidnap anybody, but we definitely wanted to find a world where we could easily slip back into our mystery solving days."

"Well, I see how poorly that would have worked out for us!" Velma said, her eyes welling up with tears. "I am so sorry that the Velma back in your world did this to you guys, and I am still so sorry I tore apart our friendship here; but, at least now I know not to proceed forward with creating the box."

In spite of everything, I couldn't help but reflect on the intricacies of the multiverse, and how each world had yielded a new and complex version of each member of the gang; it was fascinating to me that whereas the Fred and Daphne who had kidnapped us were the ones filled with remorse, this Velma and Shaggy and Scooby were likewise also filled with enough guilt over the loss of Mystery Inc. that they too were about to take matters into their own hands and find a way back to us.

"You mean you didn't even finish it yet?!" Daphne gasped. "Well, there goes our hopes of finding an invention that can get us home now. I mean, I'm glad you have learned from our story and you won't go forward with creating the box, but that means there is no way you can give us an invention or even replenish our drug supply so we can have some help getting home."

"Actually, maybe there _is _a way I can help," Velma said, a ghost of a smile fleeting across her face. Daphne and I turned to her, puzzled, as she said, "Wait right here!" and raced away, presumably towards a room in a corridor backstage somewhere. Five minutes later she emerged from the darkness of backstage holding what appeared to be a silver wand in her hand. The wand was thin and silver, with a star capped on one end. On the other end was a small, removable slot that looked as though it was intended for a battery.

"I never did finish the box nor the drug for the multiverse, but I did actually create a way to get home first thing because I wanted to ensure I could find our way back after we explored the box someday," Velma said, her eyes beaming. "Maybe I created some chaos and destruction here and in your world, but this should be a source of good. Using this wand, you should be able to find your way home. All you have to do is place a strand of your hair in this little slot here, and the wand will match your DNA to your home world. Simply wave the wand over any door after inserting your hair follicle in this slot, and the wand should illuminate over the proper door that contains your home world."

I looked to Daphne as she held the wand in her hands as though it were something sacred, or gold. She looked to me, her eyes brimming with tears, and the gang smiled back at her. Suddenly she pulled Shaggy and Scooby and Velma in for a hug, and I could see their eyes misting up, too. "Thank you," she whispered. "You have no idea what this means to us."

Daphne turned to me next and hugged me, gasping, "Freddy, do you know what this means now?"

I shook my head, almost too afraid to say it for fear that I would jinx us, but Daphne was beaming and the multiverse gang were huddled around us as though they were a protective shell shielding us from the world, and I couldn't stop the grin that was spreading across my face as I slipped my hand in Daphne's and looked into her sparkling eyes and said, almost so quietly and carefully, my voice as fragile as glass, "It means – it means we can go _home._"


	21. Chapter 21

**Author Note: **Yes hello hi, I know I know, I suck at updates, and I am so sorry it took me a month for this chapter! I say this with every update, but I promise you I never forgot nor abandoned this story, and I'm still going to see it through to the end. To everyone who has stuck around to the end, thank you, thank you, thank you! Your patience has been rewarded with this chapter, and hopefully Chapter 22 to follow shortly. That being said, I plan to install about 3 more chapters, tops, so the end is near! I hope you enjoy the rest of the story to follow.

Also, I forgot to mention this with the last chapter, but shout-out to thequeenxofhearts for her help with the previous chapter. A few months ago, her and I were discussing ideas for where to take this story, and she gave me the idea of having a multiverse Velma invent something to help Fred and Daphne find their way back. We'll see what happens with the invention and with Fred and Daphne's adventure back, but for now, this chapter deals with the original Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby, and the multiverse Fred and Daphne once more. I can guarantee a few more twists before this story has to end!

Thanks to everyone who has recently reviewed and read this story; as always, reviews are always appreciated! - iamacliche

* * *

**Chapter 21**

"All right gang, I think it's time we split up!" Fred stood in the middle of Coolsville High School's gymnasium before Velma, Daphne, and Shaggy. He oozed an aura of authority, beaming at them as he spoke; Velma realized that no matter which version of Fred she was dealing with, he would always marvel at exclaiming when it was time to split up. "Now normally, whenever we trap a monster towards the end of a mystery, we would send Shaggy and Scooby, but since Scooby has been kidnapped, maybe we could shake things up a bit. Shaggy will still go to lure the ghost here, but I think it would be best if Daphne and I stay behind and work the trap once you guys run into the gym. So that means we need someone to fill in for Scoob; Velma, how fast do you think you can run?"

Velma and Daphne quickly exchanged a look of panic, their eyes wide and their foreheads beginning to break out into a sheen of sweat; even though the friends had anticipated that Fred may try impose his own plan and therefore unwittingly break their own plan for capturing him, they were still unprepared for the wrench he had thrown into their plot.

Shaggy coughed nervously and tapped Fred on the shoulder. "Actually, Freddy, I was thinkin,' uh, maybe you could come with me. I mean, I know the girls are, like, strong and independent women who are more than capable of bein' bait, but like, I just don't wanna put them in harm's way. We don't know what this guy is capable of, after all. He already kidnapped Scooby; do we really want him takin' one of the girls next?"

Velma bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling as Shaggy spoke, and attempted to taper down the blush that threatened to color her cheeks. "He's just trying to go along with the plan, it doesn't necessarily mean he _likes_ you that way," she scolded herself firmly. "But my God, sometimes people don't give him enough credit for being so smart and so brave – "

Fred scrunched his face together, as if he was mulling over Shaggy's point carefully, before he turned to Velma and Daphne and smiled briskly. "Well girls, Shaggy has a point," he said. "Even though it pains me not to be in charge of the trap for once, I suppose there isn't any harm in switching things up for once. Will you two be okay to work the trap?"

Daphne bobbed her head excitedly, in a way that Velma feared could be perceived as overly eager. She shook her head slightly at Daphne, and Daphne wordlessly picked up on the silent cue and stopped, then spoke, "Of course, Freddy, it's easy; once you and Shaggy run into the gymnasium, you guys will lure the ghost to stand over the tiny 'X' taped in the middle of the gym floor. As soon as you guys have safely raced past the 'X,' Velma and I, who will be watching from behind the bleachers, will drop the net over the ghost as he is passing over the 'X,' and then we'll unmask him!"

Fred grinned, apparently satisfied with Daphne's retelling of the plan. "Right! And then we'll move onto the next mystery after we make the creep hand back Scooby; I can hardly wait to find the next thing. I sure am glad you guys finally got over yourselves for solving too many mysteries in a row. I mean, mystery solving is in our blood; we can't just stop and take breaks whenever we want, ya know!"

Velma fought back the urge to cringe in response to the multiverse Fred's adamant desire to constantly solve mysteries and constantly control and manipulate those around them. She reminded herself that soon enough, this would all be over, and hopefully it would be no more than a speck in the gang's peripheral vision.

"Are you sure you girls don't want me to stay behind and work the net? She can be tricky sometimes," Fred said, eyeing the lattice-like structure of the net that hung suspended from the high school gym's ceiling.

Daphne stepped beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Freddy, we've got this," she said firmly, looking him steadily in the eye as he spoke. "I hate to say it, but Shaggy is right; we aren't sure what this ghost is capable of if he has already captured Scooby. Now, you and Shag better hurry on out of here; we need to catch this ghost, and fast!"

Fred's shoulders visibly relaxed and he finally smiled, visibly persuaded at last. "Okay, you're right – let's go, Shaggy!" Fred turned and looked to Shaggy. "I've never been bait before, but I'm willing to try it if it means getting Scooby back and wrapping up this mystery."

"Like, don't worry Fredster, I'll teach ya how it's done!" Shaggy said as he lead the way out of the gym, with Fred trailing close behind him. When Shaggy was sure Fred wasn't watching, he spun and faced Velma and Daphne, mouthing, "Be ready for us – good luck!"

The second Shaggy and Fred disappeared through the gymnasium doors, Velma and Daphne turned to face each other and sighed with relief, the tension deflating from their lungs like air escaping from over-inflated balloons.

"That was close," Daphne breathed. "I thought that Fred was going to insist on manning the trap for sure – Shaggy sure did come through with the save at the last second!"

At the mention of Shaggy's name, Velma felt her chest tightening and her cheeks blossoming into a blush. She ducked her head away from Daphne, but her multiverse friend quickly picked up on the reaction and giggled sweetly. "Hey, even though the Velma that I knew didn't have a crush on Shaggy – at least, that I know of, - I think it's so sweet that you do, Velma. When this is all over, I think you need to tell him!"

Velma smiled, unsure of how to acknowledge Daphne's remark of "when this is all over," which boldly implied that her new friend (Or old friend? What a crazy situation Velma had found herself in with this multiverse she had invented!) would be long gone, and hopefully Velma's former friends would somehow be safely restored to their original home. Instead of vocalizing all of this, she said, "Thanks, Daph – I'll consider it. Now, let's get into our position and be prepared for them to come back! We have such a small window of opportunity, and it's going so seamlessly thus far."

Velma was alluding to the plan she had devised with Shaggy, Scooby, and the multiverse Daphne. After multiverse Daphne revealed that she and Fred had kidnapped the gang's original friends, the four had quickly decided it was time to capture Fred, just as they would capture an imposter or any other monster during their other mysteries. From there, they could expose him for good, and then the multiverse Daphne would leave through the box with Fred, enroute to their home world. Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby would accompany the two back to their world for their original friends, where they would retrieve Fred and Daphne, and then head home, hopefully in record time. Once the gang were safely back in Coolsville, Velma planned to destroy the box so that none of this could ever happen again. The plan the gang had collectively cobbled together wasn't foolproof by any means, but it was the best thing they had for right now. But the first thing they had to do was capture the multiverse Fred through the guise of a mystery.

So far, the "mystery" was unravelling smoothly, and there had been no snags nor hiccups; Velma, Shaggy, and Daphne had faked Scooby's kidnapping to start the mystery, which allowed Scooby to dress and appear as the ghost by using a costume he and Shaggy had purchased at the local party shop for a discounted price. After a few "run-in's" with the ghost, which featured their usual cat and mouse game of being chased by the unknown monster, Velma, Shaggy, and Daphne were delighted when Fred predictably proposed trapping the monster to end the mystery, which also conveniently aligned with their secret plan. This lead to their current situation, which consisted of preparing to capture the "monster" with a net in the middle of the high school gymnasium. The multiverse Fred had unknowingly played right into their hands by proposing the net; the net, which he thought was for the "ghost," was actually going to be used to capture Fred. Shaggy proposed luring the "ghost" back, just as he was utilized as bait during any other mystery, with the caveat that Fred accompany him. This would ensure that Fred could be in a position to be captured, which wouldn't be possible if he was the one maneuvering the trap. But since Fred was accustomed to controlling the traps and didn't easily relent in resigning from his post, the gang knew this would be a challenge convincing him. But now it seemed that this part was over and done, and now all Velma and Daphne had to do was wait for Shaggy and Fred to run into the gym with Scooby chasing them. Fred, who thought the 'X' marked on the gym floor was intended for the monster, would run over the mark and find himself tangled in the net, and from there, he would have no choice but to apologize and concede to his transgressions – or so the gang hoped.

"I sure do hope this works," Velma sighed as her and Daphne moved to the bleachers so they could nestle out of sight safely. She gripped the switch that would release the net, and squeezed the slender, silver lever nervously. "He sure made me nervous when he tried proposing that I went along with Shaggy; I was afraid he was going to wreck the whole plan and – hey Daph, are you okay?"

Velma squinted her eyes at Daphne, who looked pale and sickly all of a sudden. Daphne sighed and gripped Velma's arm.

"Velma, in case this doesn't work out, there is something I wanted to say to you," the multiverse Daphne said shakily. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry again for what Fred and I have done to you. I know sorry will never be enough, but I mean it. When we got here, it just felt so nice having you guys back again, and I selfishly thought being with you all would be enough to push away any lingering guilt I had, but every day our actions ate away at me until it consumed me, and it was all I could think about. I'm so glad I finally told you so that we could do this and move forward, but I'm worried that Fred won't cooperate. Call it women's intuition, but I just have a bad feeling about this."

Velma felt the hairs on the back of her neck bristle; she couldn't deny that she, too, was having a sinking premonition about this plan, but she had hoped she was just being overly dramatic and anxious. She smiled for Daphne's benefit and patted her on the arm reassuringly, saying, "Daphne, don't be so silly! The plan is going smoothly so far; Shaggy will lure Fred in here at any moment, and once Freddy is trapped, he will have no choice but to admit he was wrong and help us. There's no way this could fail!"

"Just hear me out, Velma," Daphne insisted seriously. "I want to believe you're right, and I sure do hope with all my heart that this plan does work, but on the off chance it doesn't, I just wanted to say thank you. Even though we weren't here for too long, the time I spent with you and Shaggy and Scooby was priceless. Although I'm sorry for how it all happened, I'll always treasure this time we spent together, and I'll never take for granted everything we shared in this short time period. Even though I am going back to my home world, to my own version of a Velma and Shaggy and Scooby, you will all still be in my heart, and I will always cherish our friendship. I hope you can forgive me eventually, and when this all blows over, I hope that you too can call me a friend."

Velma felt her tears well up with unexplainable tears, moved by Daphne's apology. Without hesitation, she enveloped Daphne in a hug, which apparently had caught the red head off guard as she flinched, but then she returned the hug a moment later.

"Oh Daph, of course I forgive you and would consider you a friend!" Velma cried. "Obviously, what you did was wrong, but you overcame your selfish desire and your fear of retaliation to rectify the situation and do what was right, and that has set this plan into motion. Without your confession, we may have never known what had truly happened! While I can't forget nor easily dismiss the convoluted manner in which we met, you can rest assured knowing that I have already forgiven you, and even though I miss my Daphne and Fred every day, I will always be grateful for the time we spent together, too!"

Daphne smiled, in spite of the tears rolling down her cheeks. "Thanks, Velma," she replied, hiccupping through her tears. "I'm not sure what I did to deserve your forgiveness and your friendship, but I promise that I won't let you down, and I'll do whatever it takes to get your friends home!"

The two girls stared at each other for a moment, smiling, touched by this warm, unexpected moment of forgiveness and friendship, but suddenly jumped when they heard the shrill sound of Shaggy screaming from somewhere outside the gymnasium.

"It's the guys!" Velma shrieked, scrambling to duck behind the bleacher. "This is our moment, Daph – here we go!"

No sooner had the two tucked themselves behind the bleachers than Shaggy tore into the gym, with Fred only a couple feet behind him. Finally, Scooby was trailing them both closely, and he was doing a remarkable job running on his two back legs while wearing a mauve colored sheet that resembled a ghost costume. For an extra bone-chilling and realistic effect, Shaggy had stained the sheet with ketchup stains, so the costume appeared to be marbled with streaks of blood, which now glistened against the gymnasium's harsh fluorescent lights. The second Velma saw Scooby framed in the doorway, she eyed Shaggy and Fred as they moved closer and closer to the 'X.'

"Tell me when to pull the lever, Daphne," Velma whispered. She wiped her sweaty palms against her orange sweater nervously, and then she gripped the shiny lever.

"They're getting closer – here we go," Daphne whispered evenly. "Okay, get ready…three…twooo…one…PULL IT!"

Velma squeezed her eyes shut and pulled the lever back, and prayed that Shaggy was still a few paces ahead of Fred so that she had only captured the imposter. She heard the net falling swiftly through the air, making a soft whistling sound as it fell to the floor. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she gripped the multiverse Daphne's arm in nervous apprehension, whispering in a torrent, "I can't look I can't look I can't look – " She didn't sigh with relief until she heard a man grunt, and then a second later she heard Fred scream, "HEY, VELMA! DAPHNE! YOU CAUGHT THE WRONG GUY!"

Velma and Daphne leaped from behind the bleachers and came face to face with the sight of Fred tangled beneath the weighted net, his eyebrows furrowed together angrily. Shaggy was standing just a foot away from the net, and Scooby, still posing as the ghost, was hovering near Velma and Daphne cautiously, his arms still raised menacingly.

"Actually Freddy, we have indeed captured the right guy," Velma boasted proudly, beaming at her friends, who looked equally as pleased. "Scooby, you can come out now!"

Scooby ripped the costume off his head and shook the sheet off his body. "Ruprise!" he yelped happily, his tongue dangling out of his mouth sheepishly.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!" Fred yelled. "Scooby, I thought you were kidnapped?!"

"You can drop the charade now, Freddy," Daphne said boldly, as she pointed an accusing finger in his direction. "I told them everything; there's no point in lying anymore!"

Fred looked at Daphne, and a wave of pain washed over his face. "What do you mean, you told them?" he asked quietly, his voice seeped in disbelief.

"I couldn't take it anymore, Freddy," Daphne said, her voice thick with tears. "I had to tell them! Every night as I laid awake in bed, I was haunted by the multiverse Daphne and Fred, and the way they looked at us when we aimed those guns in their faces. And the closer we grew to this world's Velma and Shaggy and Scooby, the guiltier I felt; I couldn't do it anymore! You kept telling me to just forget about it – "

"Daphne," Fred said with a degree of warning flaring in his voice, glaring at her as he spoke.

"– but I couldn't just forget about it like you did!" she continued, unfettered, her resolve never faltering. "I don't know what's gotten into you these past few weeks, but you've become so relentless, and I realized that there was no reasoning with you. So we devised this plan and this fake mystery to trap you, so you would have no choice but to listen to us. Look around you, Freddy; we've destroyed this version of our friends' lives! How could we be so cruel and selfish?!"

As Daphne spoke, Velma observed Fred's face carefully, watching for any sign of change washing over his tense features, and slowly, she could see the knots in his shoulders loosen, and his frown dissipated, and his eyes looked moist with tears. "It's working," Velma thought, her body trembling with relief. It was as though Daphne's words were shaping and remolding Fred like clay before their very eyes.

Finally, Fred sighed, defeated, and replied, "You're right, Daph – maybe I have been a little too brutal with this whole thing. Can you guys release me so I can hug you all and ask for forgiveness? I need to make this right."

Daphne and Shaggy cheered, and Scooby began wagging his tail with glee. "Oh Freddy, I knew you would have to come around to our viewpoint!" Daphne cried. "Shaggy, let's release him so we can go get your friends back!"

Goosebumps slithered across Velma's arms as Shaggy ambled to the net eagerly and began tugging on it with enthusiasm. "Wait guys," Velma interjected, thrusting her arms in the air erratically. "What if this is a –"

No sooner had Velma begun to voice her fear than Shaggy had pulled the net off of Fred. As Shaggy looked towards Velma with confusion at her sudden outburst, Fred leaped up, and in one powerful stride, he bounded over to Shaggy and wrestled both of Shaggy's wrists behind his back, effectively destabilizing Shaggy.

" – trap." Velma finished, her voice dropping two octaves lower as fear stalked her from all angles.

"Like, zoinks!" Shaggy yelped. "Fred, what are you doing?!"

Scooby began whimpering and crying, but only for a second before he began to snarl and growl at Fred. He raced towards Fred and stopped just before him, blaring his teeth angrily.

"Freddy! Let him go right now!" Daphne shrilled as Velma gripped her friend's arm, frozen in fear.

Scooby continued barking at Fred, his back coiled like a cat's before striking at his prey. "Call off the dog," Fred said evenly and smoothly, "Or Shaggy gets it!"

"Like, no offense buddy, but there isn't much you can do to hurt me at this point!" Shaggy pointed out, his voice trembling in spite of his show of bravery. "Like, it's not like you have a weapon on you or anything, right?"

As Scooby pawed the ground and began to hunker down, ready to attack, in the blink of an eye Fred brandished a knife from his back pocket and slid it beneath Shaggy's throat. Velma felt her insides clench as bile threatened to fly out of her mouth.

"ZOINKS! Like, forget what I said, man," Shaggy cried.

"Oh my God, he's going to kill Shaggy!" Velma screeched.

"FREDDY! Drop that knife!" Daphne yelped.

"Call off the dog, or else!" Fred threatened ambiguously once more, eyeing Scooby intimidatingly.

"Like, Scoob buddy, don't worry about me, okay?" Shaggy said as calmly as possible. "Go stand with the girls – we'll figure it out."

Scooby tucked his tail between his legs and ducked his head low, and slowly walked to stand beside Velma and Daphne, who were standing together with their hands balled into fists, as though it would be enough to fight Fred off with their anger alone.

"So this is what it comes to then, Fred?" Daphne asked, a note of anger rising in her voice. "What's your plan then, huh? You're going to kill Shaggy and then expect us to act like nothing happened?"

"The Fred we know would never do this!" Velma spat vehemently. "How is it possible you're anything like him?!"

The multiverse Fred bellowed with laughter. "Oh please, that jackass is such a pussy! He just cowered beneath me and Daphne when we kidnapped him and his little girlfriend. Obviously, we aren't the exact same person, but his lack of taking calculated risks like I do have gotten him nowhere except stuck in a vast multiverse with his pathetic girlfriend. Yes, it's true; we uprooted them from this world, and it was going so well until Daphne had to spill the beans. And now that it's all been discovered, we'll do it all over again, but not before I take out your friend here for your transgressions."

"So you're seriously going to kill Shaggy and then go back into the multiverse to do it all over again?!" Daphne echoed, incredulous. "Fred Jones, you're out of your mind! If that's what you think, you're going to have to go by yourself, because I refuse to leave! And I guess that means if you're going to have to slaughter me alongside Shaggy, then by all means, go for it!"

"Like, gee Daph, maybe you shouldn't sound so eager about being killed like a cow being made into a hamburger," Shaggy murmured. "Boy oh boy, I sure could go for a hamburger right now. Don't I get, like, a last meal or somethin'?"

Fred tightened his grip around Shaggy's arms and pushed the dull end of the blade against his throat, causing Shaggy to yelp. "Speak again, and next time, it will be the sharp end of the knife," he growled.

Velma began to step towards Fred, her voice finally unknotted and her eyes welling with tears. "Freddy, please don't do this," she began to wail. "If you're going to kill anyone, let it be me. I'm the one who invented this box and the multiverse; I'm the cause of all this horrible destruction. If anyone deserves to pay for any transgressions or evil, let it be me."

"Like, VELMA!" Shaggy squealed. "Don't say that!"

"Oh don't worry Velma, you will be joining your friend here, too," Fred laughed insidiously. "After I'm finished with him, I'm coming for you and the dog next, and then I'm making Daphne go with me into the multiverse, and we're stealing what's left of your drug supply to pick a new world to inhabit."

"This is never going to work, Fred!" Daphne barked. "You won't get away with this. If you think it's as easy as jumping from universe to universe until you're perfectly happy, you're wrong! Your mistakes will always catch up with you, and eventually, you're going to have to deal with the fact that you should have just tried to make things work out in the original world we came from instead of trying to cheat your way into the life you wanted!"

"That's what you think, Daph," Fred bellowed with laughter. "Now be a good girl and watch me take care of business!"

Fred raised the knife in the air and glowered at Shaggy, who began weeping and crying. Daphne and Scooby stepped to stand beside Velma, who had begun to cry even harder. As Daphne and Scooby begged and pleaded with Fred, he turned to Shaggy and narrowed his eyes into slits. "Any last words then, Shaggy?"


	22. Chapter 22

**Author Note: **I won't say too much to kick this chapter off, but as a quick disclaimer, if you haven't seen the conclusion of _Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated_ and you are hoping to avoid spoilers, then be forewarned that there is a spoiler for that in this chapter! Otherwise, I hope you enjoy this latest installment! - iamacliche

* * *

**Chapter 22**

"Okay then, now the real question is this; who's hair are we going to stuff into this wand?!"

Daphne turned to face me, placing her hands on her hips as she eyed me precariously. "Don't look at me!" she chirped. "I don't want my hair yanked out of my head!"

Daphne and I were once again standing in the box, which we now jokingly referred to as our "home away from home." We had just digested the drug moments ago, and the box had already inflated into its infinite corridor, and we were standing in the middle of the hallway amongst the vast array of identical doors. We had just left behind the futuristic Coolsville, and now we were debating whose hair we were going to shove into the wand the multiverse Velma had gifted us.

"Okay, fine," I relented, sighing with exasperation. "If it means getting us home, then I guess I'll volunteer to pull my own hair out of my head. Plus, we've spent so much time in this box and the multiverse, I genuinely feel ready to rip my own hair out of my head out of pure frustration, anyway!" My corny attempt at joke provoked a laugh from Daphne, and I smiled as I felt a laugh bubble out of me, as well, but the real reason I was feeling giddy is because the idea of finding our home made me feel like an excited child. It was hard to believe that after all these trials and obstacles, Daphne and I were about to finally find our home by simply using this wand.

"If only we had found the tech world sooner, huh Daph?" I mused. "I can't believe it was as easy as finding a wand that makes us look like fairy queens!"

Daphne nodded. "I can't believe it either, Freddy! But you better hurry up and stuff your hair in this wand; if we don't hurry up and use this wand, these doors are going to shrink away, and who knows what kind of door we'll be stuck with then! Remember, we only have about ten minutes, and we only have a handful of vials left, too, so we're running out of time and resources, and fast."

I looked at the silver wand gripped in my hand and slid open the compartment. "Okay, you're right," I agreed. "But I have to warn you, Daph, I'm not sure how easy it will be for me to just rip my own hair out of my – "

As I spoke, Daphne closed the space between us and ran her hand through my hair. She smiled at me sweetly before yanking once, hard. Surprised, I yelped, and then I blinked as she drew away from me and unfurled her fist, revealing the several coarse blonde hairs she had plucked from my scalp.

She smiled at me sheepishly and kissed my cheek. "Sorry, babe," she laughed. "I figured if I did it fast and quick, while you were distracted, then it would do the trick."

I laughed in spite of myself. "I guess it did work," I conceded. "But next time, maybe a little warning would be nice."

"Well no worries Freddy; if we do this right, there won't be a next time," Daphne said. She grabbed the wand from me and shoved the tiny blonde hairs into the open slot, then clicked it back together. A few moments later, the wand blinked a few times, giving off a cool, icy blue tone, which indicated that it was working. Then the wand went dark, which the multiverse Velma had instructed us would signify that it was time to start sifting through the doors to find our home.

I laced my hand through Daphne's and smiled at her. "Come on, let's get moving!" I said cheerfully. "We're almost home!"

We began walking down the hallway hand in hand, waving the wand over each of the doors as we went, patiently waiting to see that blue aurora emitted from the wand. As we walked, we moved quickly and efficiently, careful not to move too fast so as to miss anything, but also moving fast enough to save us time. I could tell that Daphne was just as apprehensive as I was as we moved; her hand was shaking as she squeezed my hand, and I could practically feel the enthusiasm draining out of her fingertips and filtering into my veins, which in turn made me feel jittery, too. My body wouldn't stop thrumming with excitement as we walked past door after door, the star on the wand still dark, as memories flashed through my mind. I could hear Shaggy's laugh as though he was standing right next to me; I could see Scooby crying and cowering as he hoped for just one more Scooby snack; I could see Velma snapping her fingers together and proclaiming brightly "Jinkies!", just as she did whenever we had cracked a case wide open. And my parents, who I hadn't had much of a chance to think about during this whole journey. What would I say to them once we got home safe? I would probably fall into their arms, unashamed and unabashed, and tell them through a torrent of tears that I was so sorry for every fight we ever had, ever. And of course there was Daphne, who I had nearly lost on this journey as well, despite the fact that we were physically together for almost the entire time. Whenever I remembered how close the multiverse Fred had been to snatching her away from me, my heart stuttered and my breathing hitched in my throat and my eyes hurt as I strained to hold back the tears. I couldn't afford to lose my friends and family, not a single person, and I would make sure to fight like hell for them, always. I would hold all of these people close to me; I couldn't take anyone for granted ever again after this experience.

"I can't wait to be home," Daphne breathed, interrupting my thoughts. "What do you think we'll do about the Fred and Daphne who kidnapped us once we get home, Freddy? How will we ever convince Shaggy and Velma and Scooby that we're their real friends?"

I waved the wand over another door as Daphne spoke, and when the wand didn't illuminate with light, I continued to guide our way through the hallway. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure about that yet, Daph," I admitted. "I've tried to think about it while we were trapped in the multiverse, but it's been so hard. How can we face two people who kidnapped us and effectively convey to them all the hell they've put us through? I've been asking myself this question non-stop."

Daphne nodded solemnly, indicating that she understood. "I'm just worried we won't be able to reason with them to return home, Freddy," Daphne murmured softly. "If they were brutal enough to kidnap us at gunpoint, who's to say they're going to go home willingly?"

We moved past another few doors unsuccessfully before I offered up my response.

"The thing is, we really don't know what has happened since we've been home," I speculated. "My hope is that somehow Velma and Shaggy and Scooby have been tipped off to the fact that something isn't right – after all, they do solve mysteries for a living – but I'm not so sure what to expect. I think if we can persuade them it's us, then we'll be more effective at having the multiverse Fred and Daphne leave. I guess that will be our first mission. And then from there, hopefully it's – "

I paused, interrupted by the wand, which flickered, once, as I hovered over a door. Daphne looked at me, her eyes wide with hope.

"This has to be it!" I remarked, waving the wand over the door again; only this time, it didn't even flash for so much as a second. "But I don't understand. I thought Velma said it would light up once we find the right door?"

"Well, it did light up for a second," Daphne pointed out. "I saw it, but it was so brief. It wasn't a trick, was it Freddy? Maybe we're just being overly hopeful, or maybe – "

I felt the sudden tightening of pressure pounding behind my nose. Daphne must have felt it too, because she pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers and sighed. A second later, I heard a loud slurping noise coming from the other end of the hallway, and doors began to dissolve into thin air before us.

"Oh God, we're out of time!" Daphne yelped. "Freddy, what do we do?!"

I squeezed Daphne's hand as I reached for the door that had momentarily triggered the wand, gripping the doorknob beneath my hand. "Come on, we have no choice! It has to be this one!" I yelped. As doors disintegrated around us, I wrenched the door open, tamping down the fear bubbling inside of me when I saw nothing on the other side of the door. Without hesitating, I stepped through the door as the hallway shrank around us, pulling Daphne behind me as the door shuddered closed with a loud bang.

As soon as the door shut behind us I blinked, attempting to adjust to the blinding sunlight. Instantly, I felt beads of sweat stringing down my arms and sliding down my back, and as my eyes became accustomed to the abrasive sunlight, I could see that Daphne and I were standing in the middle of a wide, expansive desert. There wasn't a single person in sight, nor was there even any sign of an animal. The only sight I could see for miles was the door we had walked through standing right behind us, and the soft, golden brown sand, which seemed to stretch on endlessly.

"No," I murmur, looking around frantically. I gasp, trying to take a deep breath, but I feel as though all of the air has been sucked out of my lungs. "This isn't our home! Why-why didn't it work?"

Daphne gazed at the desert, her eyes forming a dozen questions that neither of us could answer. "But – I don't understand," Daphne said. "We did everything the multiverse Velma back in the tech world told us to do. We put your hair in the wand, and it did flicker for a second, so why didn't it work? Why aren't we home? And what are we supposed to try next if this didn't work? We're running out of options, and – oh shit Freddy, what's wrong?"

I only vaguely hear Daphne speaking as my ears begin to ring and my entire body starts to go numb. My head is pounding, or maybe it's my heart, or maybe my lungs, my veins, all of me, every part of my body reeling as I attempt to process the fact that I'm not going to hear Shaggy's laugh, nor Scooby's whine for more food, nor Velma's fingers snap as she proclaims "Jinkies!" I'm not going to be able to fall into my parent's arms and cry buckets of shameless tears because I'm never going to see them again. As these ideas tumble around in my mind like a centrifuge, my fingertips fizz and crackle, and my ribs feel as though they're about to splinter, bone dust filling me up.

"Freddy!" Daphne screeched, suddenly standing in front of me. She gripped my elbows with her hands and looked me in the eye. "Freddy, you're scaring me. Please talk to me; please don't shut me out again. It's me, Freddy. What's on your mind?"

The desperation and pain in Daphne's voice slammed into me, and my breath stuttered as a thousand thoughts bloomed in my mind. I remembered how I nearly lost Daphne a few worlds back by trying to keep her in the dark with my thoughts and my emotions, and when I remembered how that nearly crippled us and how it almost took her away from me forever, I felt the tension ooze out of my muscles. I sighed, inhaling a shaky breath, but nod my head at her as I place my hand on her cheek tenderly, and I traced her lip with my fingers gently. "You're right," I whisper. "Okay. I won't push you away again."

Daphne reached up to brush away a tear that I didn't even know had escaped out of my eyelids, and she nods, waiting patiently for me to speak. When I finally do speak, my voice comes out as a cracked whisper, as though my neck is being strangled, and all I can manage is, "I'm scared."

Daphne doesn't speak right away; instead, she rubs her hand in circles around my back reassuringly. "Just take deep breaths, and focus on my voice," she says, and I'm about to question why I need to take deep breaths when I realize that I'm hyperventilating, inhaling and exhaling as though I've just run a marathon, or as though I've run from monsters and creeps in cheap dollar store masks. I breathe in and out four seconds each, measured and controlled, synchronizing my body to match the way Daphne breathes. After a few minutes of deep breathing, once my legs have stopped shaking and my fingers have ceased convulsing, Daphne prompts, "What are you scared of, baby?"

I'm tempted to laugh, because the question itself sounds so loaded considering our circumstances, but I somehow know what Daphne means, and I know she doesn't intend to be patronizing when she asks.

"I'm scared," I begin to speak, my voice wobbly and weak, and for a second I don't even recognize myself when I talk, so I clear my throat and try again. "I'm scared because this was supposed to be it, the final door. When we got that wand from the multiverse Velma, I allowed myself to start feeling hopeful, ya know? I started thinking about my mom and my dad, and our friends, and just for one perfect moment, I felt this moment of safety and security. I was starting to hope that finally, finally, I could lead us out of this nightmare forever, but I guess that's never going to happen for us. I'm scared because we only have a few vials of the drug left, so that leaves us almost no chance of making it home safely, and if the wand failed us once before, then it's surely going to happen again, and then who knows what kind of world we'll find ourselves in once that happens. And most of all, I'm scared because I promised you when this whole thing started that I would protect you, but I'm not sure what this final world will take us too after this, and I'm scared that I'll just continue to be a shitty leader and a crappy boyfriend wherever we end up. Let's face it, Daphne; we are so screwed."

As I spoke, Daphne brushed her fingers through my hair, her gaze intense as she listened to me. Once I'm done and there's been a few moments of silence, and Daphne is sure that I'm all finished talking, she pulled me into her arms and held me so close against her that I could feel her heart beating erratically. As I cling to her, I sigh, relieved, feeling hollowed-out and emptied, but also full and whole.

Daphne pulled away from me and looked me in the eye, and she opened her mouth to speak, but then her eyes blinked rapidly and her forehead wrinkled together as she eyed something in the distance behind me.

"I don't quite believe what I'm seeing – " she gasped.

Confused, I spun around and turned towards where Daphne was pointing. Emerging from the wide desert, like a mirage, was some sort of vehicle, moving at a rapid speed. As I squinted my eyes through the sand that began to dance around the approaching vehicle, my heart began to hammer in my chest and my breathing came out in staggered huffs when I noted the bright, neon green and blue colors splashed onto the car with the psychedelic flowers stenciled along the sides.

"Oh my God," Daphne breathed. "Who do you think it could be?"

Any other time this would have been an obvious answer to her question, but considering the fact that we had just weaved our way through various doors with differing worlds and versions of ourselves and our friends, I knew exactly what Daphne was asking.

I shook my head incredulously. "I don't know," I admitted. "But be ready – the door is just a few feet away. If they seem hostile, we'll have to be ready to make towards that exit, and fast."

As the van approached closer and closer, I was unable to distinctly discern who was the driver, but it was obvious that whoever was riding in the Mystery Machine had spotted Daphne and me, because the car was rolling to a stop in front of us. I reached out to grab Daphne's hand in mine, and my hands flew defensively to the backpack slung around my shoulder. Already my heart was slamming into my chest and my palms were sweating, and I could taste the sharp, metallic forewarnings of the fight-or-flight reaction bubbling up inside of me and glazing the roof of my mouth. But when the Mystery Machine finally came to a complete stop in front of us, Daphne gasped, and as my eyes took in the man emerging from the driver's seat my mouth fell open in shock, and even though he no longer contained any trace of the long, snarled beard nor the unkempt hair, I recognized him in an instant.

"I can't believe my eyes right now," the Crystal Cove Fred gasped, rubbing his eyes with disbelief as he stared at me and Daphne, who no doubt reflected his surprise. "Gang! You gotta come out and see this!"

A second later the sound of doors flying open and voices exclaiming and squealing filled the still, stale desert air, and Daphne and I found ourselves standing face to face with the Crystal Cove versions of Mystery Incorporated. They look so much different from when we saw them last, and yet, they are so distinctly recognizable, as they now so closely resemble the Mystery Inc. I know from back home. Shaggy's hair, which had been cut so militaristically short when we last saw him, was now back to its, well, shaggy form, and he was dressed in his usual green shirt and denim ensemble. Velma had the same glasses and hairstyle as the Velma we knew back home, and Daphne resembled the girl standing beside me, with the exception of minor outfit variations, and even then, both were wearing splashes of purple and green. Scooby, of course, looked like the exact same dog we knew and loved. Perhaps the most jarring change since Daphne and I had last seen the Crystal Cove versions of ourselves was the fact that my counterpart was no longer disheveled and obviously broken. He stood before us with his posture straight and focused, and his eyes were glowing with a new aurora of confidence. And of course, he looked much more polished in terms of physical appearance; his hair was styled the same exact way I kept mine, and there was no proof that he had sported an embarrassingly dirty beard just a short time ago.

Daphne shrieked with delight beside me, and instantly everything became chaos as we all moved into hug each other and vocalize our disbelief over seeing each other once again. As the Crystal Cove Fred clapped me on his back, I grinned, unable to contain my excitement at reuniting with the version of myself who ended up being the one replication I had identified with so easily.

"It's so good to see you two again!" the Crystal Cove Velma said as she hugged Daphne again. "We were all just talking about you guys the other day; we have been through so much since we saw you two last!"

"I can see that," Daphne replied warmly as she eyed her counterpart, who had threaded her hand through the Crystal Cove Fred's hand. "And while we're absolutely thrilled to see you all again, we have to admit that we're also a little disappointed."

"Disappointed?" Crystal Cove Shaggy parroted. "Like, what do you mean? What's goin' on, guys?"

"Is there anything we can do to help?" The Crystal Cove Fred asked as he turned to me, concern flashing across his face.

I tried to smile, but it quickly wobbled, and I knew that my frustration was clearly etched across my face. "If you can help us get back to our home world then that would be amazing, but I'm afraid that there's no one in any world that can do that for us."

"Hold on," the Crystal Cove Daphne held up her hands in the air, as if literally forcing us all to pause. "I've heard about you two from the gang, but this is still so unreal. What if you explained it to me again, and you can tell us all what you've been up to since you've seen everyone while you're at it, as well?"

Daphne and I exchanged a look, both of us unsure of where to begin. "How much time do you guys have?" she finally asked.

* * *

Two hours later, we were all sitting in the back of the Mystery Machine, and Daphne and I had sat side by side, cross-legged, taking turns threading and weaving the story together for our long-lost friends. The gang had sat, enraptured, never once interrupting to ask a question, only punctuating our story at the appropriate times to gasp or sigh when we spoke of a particularly scary world or moment. When I spoke of how I nearly lost Daphne to the other Fred, I saw my counterpart widen his eyes and hook his arm around his Daphne unconsciously, as if he could lose his girlfriend just by listening to the story. Now my Daphne was close to concluding our story; she had just explained how we had received the wand from the multiverse Velma, and she had allowed them to pass the wand around in a circle, and for a second I smiled, feeling as though we were all in kindergarten and hearing Daphne tell a story during "show and tell."

"Well, needless to say, the wand didn't work," Daphne finished speaking, as the Crystal Cove Scooby handed me the wand back after he had examined it just as thoroughly as the rest of the gang. Daphne turned to me, waiting for me to conclude the story, but I wasn't sure how to end it. This wasn't like a traditional story with a neat, tidy ending; it was our life, and there wasn't a clear, concise solution anywhere in sight.

"What I don't understand is how we ended up back in the Crystal Cove world again," I sighed. "The wand was supposed to bring us back to our world, but somehow we found ourselves back here again. Daphne and I had just stepped through the door when we ran into you guys again. We're not sure what to do; we only have a few vials of the drug left, so we don't have any chances left to spare after this next try to get it right."

As I spoke, I saw the Crystal Cove gang cast each other different looks, and it was hard to decipher what exactly they were silently communicating with each other.

"Should we, like, tell them?" The Crystal Cove Shaggy whispered.

"What!?" Daphne asked, her voice rising with curiosity. "Tell us what?"

The Crystal Cove Fred cleared his throat before looking at us. "Well Fred, you aren't entirely correct about being back in the Crystal Cove world," he began. "I mean, this world does technically have a Crystal Cove a ways back from where we were just driving, but it isn't the Crystal Cove you and Daphne saw awhile back."

Daphne knit her eyebrows together. "I don't think I follow what you're saying."

A thought was brewing in my mind as my mind was filled with a sharp moment of clarity and goosebumps wafted over my arms. "Do you guys mean to say that…."

"We've left the world that was originally our home, too," the Crystal Cove Daphne spoke up. "After we defeated the Evil Entity, Velma figured out that we somehow got pulled into that project with the cat again, Shodiner…er, shroder – Velma, what was that called again?"

Daphne and I gasped audibly.

"Schrodinger's Cat," Velma clarified. "Yes, Daphne is right.

"I – I can't believe it," I stuttered. "How did you guys get sucked into the multiverse, too?"

"Well, we weren't necessarily sucked into it," the Crystal Cove Fred interjected. "Velma, why don't you explain what happened? You did a great job explaining it to us before we left home."

"Of course, Freddy," Velma began. "After we defeated the Evil Entity, we woke up and discovered that Crystal Cove wasn't quite how we remembered it. The town appeared untouched and unscathed from the harm and disasters that had wreaked havoc over the previous months, and the citizens of Crystal Cove appeared to have no memory of the conflicts we had all endured. The town sign switched over from 'Crystal Cove: The Most Hauntedest Place on Earth' to 'Crystal Cove: The Sunniest Place on Earth.' But the most telling sign was how our own lives had been so dramatically altered; Fred's parents switched over from malicious and selfish criminals to obstetricians, and Fred and Daphne's parents were happily coordinating a wedding for Fred and Daphne. Shaggy's parents were no longer embarrassed of their son, as they boasted of how Shaggy was President of the Chef's club and winner of the ultimate teen chef award. And finally, my friend Marcie was alive and well even though she had been mercilessly killed by Professor Pericles and his goons the last time we had seen her, and she was telling me about how we had to work together to win at the science fair as we always had, despite the fact that I had no memory of doing so."

My mind was reeling and my head felt as though it was drowning in questions, and I felt as though I had only processed half of what Velma had said. Daphne turned to the Crystal Cove Fred and Daphne, who were sitting before us with their hands clasped together still as Velma spoke. "You guys are engaged?" Daphne whispered, something like awe and maybe jealousy dripping from her voice.

"And as I took in all of the changes around us, I thought of you guys," Velma said, turning towards me and Daphne so she could acknowledge us. "I remember meeting you both during our mystery with the Crybaby Clown, and I recalled how you both had originated from a different world and you were travelling through various other worlds to find your home, and I recollected discussing Schrodinger's cat, and then it hit me. With no actuality of wave functional collapse," Velma continued on. "I realized that alternative histories and futures were real. When we destroyed the Entity, it was as if it had never existed, so everything the Entity touched, all the evil, all of the curse, all of the losers in rubber masks, none of it ever happened. By destroying the Evil Entity, the gang and I slipped from the world we had originated from, and created our own, alternate timeline!"

Velma beamed and sat back proudly after she finished talking, but Daphne and I just sat there, our mouths gaping in shock and wonder.

"So, let me get this straight," I clarified. "You guys never went into the box, never used a vial, and never had to go through different doors to find a different timeline? But how – but why – "

"And the world you guys stumbled upon is so much happier than your original home," my Daphne mused, her voice tinged with a hint of jealousy. "I only wish Freddy and I could be half as lucky."

"Well, it isn't as perfect as it sounds," the Crystal Cove Fred said. "You see, after Velma explained how we had slipped from our original timeline, we realized that, yes, we were technically in a peaceful world with no bad guys and no fear, but that also implied that there were no mysteries to solve, and a life without mysteries feels so empty to us."

I nodded, saying nothing, but I could fully relate to that claim; after all, wasn't a life full of solving mysteries with best friends the root of what caused the original multiverse Fred to kidnap me and Daphne in the first place? Apparently, that was what every version of ourselves was secretly lacking and craving.

"So to rectify a life without mysteries, we're actually on our way to Miskatonic University right now!" the Crystal Cove Daphne exclaimed. "We all have a free ride to study there, even Scooby. We're going to study and live happily at school while we solve mysteries together! In fact, we were about halfway there when we ran into you guys, so this is incredibly coincidental."

"I'm so happy for you guys; really, I am," I said. "But how did you guys defeat the Evil Entity? Maybe we can use that instead of the wand, and it will somehow help us find our way back home!"

Again, the Crystal Cove gang exchanged glances and smiles. Finally, the Crystal Cove Fred said, "Well, we thought it was the heart of the jaguar that would get us home, but really, the secret ingredient that we needed to defeat the Evil Entity was the power of our friendship."

Daphne scrunched her eyebrows together, and I couldn't help burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, but that just sounds like some happy-go-lucky, hippy-dippy bullshit!" I said. "The power of your friendship? What does that even mean?"

"Well, we did technically use the heart of the jaguar," Daphne explained. "But what Freddy means is that we defeated the Evil Entity together. You see, at one point we realized that the real power was us, our love and our friendship for each other."

"And, like, when we figured that out, then it became, like, easier to take down the bad guy!" Shaggy exclaimed.

"Rah rah!" Scooby bobbed his head up and down eagerly as his friends spoke.

I felt my heart sink as I listened to the gang speak. "Well, so much for my hope that we could somehow find our way back home by using whatever method you guys used," I sighed.

"I'm not so sure, Freddy," Velma said. "I know that you and Daphne are without the rest of your friends, but I still think you've had the power to go home all along. This whole time, you two thought that the answer was pure luck or a magic wand, when I think it's really been your relationship and your love and your combined desire to each other back home. I think that you will find once you combine those two things, you will be once again find your way home."

Daphne turned to me, her eyes glimmering and her face shining with emotion. She placed her hand over mine and said, "What do you think, Freddy? I know it may sound silly, but look at the Crystal Cove gang. It's worked so well for them."

I gazed at the faces of my friends around me, and as I took in the sight of their smiles, I can't help but feel a light, airy hope balloon behind my chest. I took Daphne's hand in mine and squeezed.

"I suppose we could give it a try," I said with what I hoped was conviction in my voice. Daphne planted a kiss on my cheek and the rest of the gang grinned, but I could tell that my counterpart was eyeing my suspiciously. As we all stood to rise and gather our things, the gang and I swooped in to exchange hugs and well wishes, wordlessly agreeing that Daphne and I had a mission ahead of us to accomplish. When the Crystal Cove Fred clapped his back on my shoulder, he brought me in for a tight hug, and leaned in to whisper, "I know you're skeptical, and I know you're scared; believe me, I was you once, too. But give it a chance, for her." I returned the hug with enthusiasm and nodded, thanking Fred and wishing him well on his adventures with the gang.

As Daphne and I tumbled out of the back of the van, the Crystal Cove gang waved good-bye and wished us luck, watching us walk resolutely towards the door. Just before I pried the door open, Daphne and I turned to face the gang, and before we shouted our final good-byes, Fred cried, "Don't forget what we told you! We hope you guys find your home soon." An unexplainable wave of emotion gripped me, and I could only nod silently as I watched this amazing version of me and my friends, and before I could second guess anything I tugged Daphne inside the door and we allowed the door to slam behind us.

Once the door had shut with a loud bang, Daphne and I turned to each other, and I gulped, and the reality of our situation hit me. I let the backpack slide off my shoulder and unzipped the bag, blinking at the three glass vials nestled at the bottom of the pouch.

"Daphne," I began, attempting to keep my voice as still as possible. "We only have three vials left, and there are two of us. That means that if we don't get this next door right, then – "

Daphne reached forward and clamped her hands around my own, willing me to stop speaking, as she no doubt knew what I knew; if we somehow screwed up this next door, we wouldn't have enough vials for us both to get home. Obviously, neither of us would be willing to take the last vial and go home alone, so that meant we had only one more chance to get things right, and it had to be perfect.

"Okay, so if it takes both of us to get home, I guess we can start by putting a strand of hair from both of our heads into the wand," I started. "And then after that, we'll – "

Daphne's face suddenly brightened as she grabbed the backpack from me and began rummaging through the pack. When she withdrew the notebook and pen we had taken from the world where we had slept together for the first time, I raised my eyebrows, asking a silent question.

"Freddy, I know what the Crystal Cove gang said about the power of our friendship getting us back home again, and I agree with them," she said. "But part of that friendship and love we have for each other has to be self-love and self-care, too."

I shook my head, confused. "I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you're saying."

"What I'm saying is that I love and believe in you, Freddy, but this whole entire time, you haven't believed in yourself and your own ability to lead us," Daphne explained. "And part of what makes Mystery Inc., a great group dynamic is the way you lead us. I think you should be the one to guide us back home, Freddy; of course, it will still be both of us, together, but I think you should finish our journey and bring us full circle by acknowledging that you are a good leader and that you can help us get home. We never really got to try my idea of writing down our thoughts and feelings in this notebook before choosing a door. I propose that you write down exactly what you feel about home, and exactly what you're thinking, and once we have that all centered, we'll put our hair into the wand, take the last drug, and find our way home, with you as the leader of our group, just like back at home."

As Daphne spoke, I shook my head vehemently. "Daph, I appreciate the vote of confidence, really," I said. "But come on, you have to admit that we would have been home a lot sooner if it hadn't been for me, and I still think we wouldn't have been here at all if it hadn't been for my desire to find a world where I was perfectly happy and had everything I could ever want. What kind of leader does that?"

She pressed the notebook and pen into my hand and looked me in the eyes, and replied, "A human leader does that, Freddy. Now, humor me and try it – we have nothing left to lose. I'll sit in the corner of the box over there while you write. Once you've finished, I'll read what you've got, we'll take a drug, and then we'll start going."

Before I could protest any further, Daphne kissed me on the lips, softly, and then moved to the opposite side of the box and slid to the ground, waiting for me to begin writing. Slightly frazzled, I ran a hand through my hair, but then I considered everything we had been through, all the worlds with the versions of me that were hard to look at and all of the shit we had to endure just to get this far. I lowered myself onto the cold steel ground, and I mulled over everything Daphne was saying about how I didn't realize my own potential in the same way that she did. What if she was right? What if my own self-doubt and my own insecurities were somehow holding me back, and it was time to let everything go?

I tapped the pen against my teeth and thought about Coolsville, and everything I loved about my home. I thought about what the Crystal Cove Mystery Inc. had said about how Daphne and I could use our love and the power of our relationship to find our way home, as they had done to defeat the Evil Entity. And as I sat there thinking, I noticed Daphne smile at me slowly from across the box, and a warm, safe feeling blanketed over me.

And a second later, before I even realized what I was doing, I began writing.

_It was about four or five months after I had met you, so freshman year. I was at the Coolsville High School dance, standing in the middle of the dark auditorium while all around me sweaty students bumped and grinded against their friends and significant others, much to the chagrin of the teacher chaperones watching on the fringes of the dance floor. I had gone to the dance alone, but I knew you would be there, and even though I knew it was a stretch, I had hoped that I could steal a slow dance with you at some point during the night. As I weaved my way through students tangled together, I finally noticed you standing in the far corner of the gym, and when I see you boxed in by a tall, lanky guy in tight jeans, I can instantly feel the jealousy and pain blossom inside of me as my cheeks burn, and I somehow know that my cheeks are blooming a crimson red color. The guy is another freshman, and I don't know much about him, other than that he enjoys being in the school art club. I don't even know his name, but when my buddy Kyle sees me standing with my mouth gaping open on the dance floor and he asks me what's wrong, he follows my gaze and chortles, _"Oh, that guy fucks everyone, and it looks like your little friend is next, Jones."

_Jealousy and hurt consume me, and I shove Kyle as he laughs like a hyena. He looks shocked that I pushed him, but then rolls his eyes and walks away, muttering how I'm so sensitive for speaking about you that way. I don't know this guy who supposedly fucks everyone, but the mere thought of him even intertwining his hands with yours makes me want to scream until my voice is raw, and I'm overwhelmed with the need to hit him. As I watch, something in your body suggest discomfort. You aren't smiling, your arms are crossed as this guy leans way too close towards your face while he speaks, and I can easily discern that you're trapped in a bad conversation based on what I've learned from watching you in just these few short months. Even though we haven't been friends for long, it's amazing how quickly we've bonded; a simple gaze shared wordlessly between us already conveys so much, and our new friends Velma and Shaggy joke that the two of us have our own language. _

Just go talk to her, _my mind urges. _Save her, _as if you're one of those women in the mystery novels we love swapping, as if you're a woman who needs saving at all when I know perfectly well how you're strong and capable and powerful and beautiful, all by yourself._

_I found myself moving pushing past limbs and flailing students, and when I was just a few feet away from you, your eyes averted to mine, and it feels like something has sputtered and stopped in my chest, as if my entire world has literally paused. As I drew near you, the guy you're talking to stops talking and frowns as he most likely anticipates that his time with you is about to end. And then the fast, upbeat song that was playing ended abruptly. It was replaced by a top 40 song, the melody slow and sweet as the female lead singer crooned about her lover, and before I could even string together a cohesive thought, you stepped towards me, grabbed my hand in your own, and shouted to the guy, "Thanks Jordan, but Fred actually promised me this next slow dance! Talk to you later!"_

_As you lead us to the dance floor, you practically glide, moving elegantly and smoothly. Your hand in mine feels electric, as though sparks are shooting from your palms, and when we're finally in the middle of the dance floor you curtsey to me cheekily, and despite my nerves I laugh, and return the gesture. Then you lean into me and we begin swaying in time with the music, your arms wrapped around my neck comfortably, as though we've done this a hundred times before. For a second I'm unsure of where to place my hands, but then I quickly rest them on your lower back and bring you close against me, and I catch a whiff of your apricot scented hair. The feeling of being entwined with you and feeling your body as though it was soldered against mine is incredible, and I savor your light touch as you grip my neck. And as we dance to the song you smiled up at me, and I could feel myself melting, just as I did that very first time I met you, and you said, "Good instincts – thanks for saving me, Fred. That guy was _so _annoying!"_

_I'm grappling with how to respond when the song is suddenly cut short, and all the lights are cut in the gym. Students gasp, and a vampire cackles from the rafters of the auditorium, and he swoops from the ceiling and lands on the ground with a _THUD,_ and he grabs the chest standing closest to the deejay, which contained a huge cash prize for whomever would have been voted king and queen by the end of the dance. In an instant Shaggy and Velma have suddenly materialized beside us, as though they were there all along, and the four of us exchange grins and wide-eyed looks as the vampire tears out of the gym._

_You grip my hand and grin at me, the ecstasy written all over your face, and you ask me, "Want to go with me to solve a mystery with our friends, like one of those detective books the four of us love so much?" _

_And all I can think is: I will go anywhere with you._

_Whenever I think of my home, that moment is the first moment that comes to my mind. For starters, it was the first time I held you in my arms, and immediately I had felt warm and safe and secure, and I always knew deep down that you were the one for me. And that was the very first mystery we had solved as a gang, and even though our mysteries could be scary, I always felt as though I was doing what I was placed on Earth for whenever I was solving a case with you and our friends by my side. Whenever I think of home, I think of the rush of unmasking another creep in a cheesy mask, or the melodious laughter of our friends as we drive in the Mystery Machine, or my parents' smiles whenever they see me walk in the door after school. But the thing no one tells you about home is that home isn't just a place; home can be a person, too. Even though this experience has taken us far from our physical home and our friends and family, I didn't realize that while I moaned about getting back home, I've been home this entire time, because I've had you right by my side, because you are my home. And when I silently pledged to follow you anywhere that day in the midst of the humid gymnasium, surrounded by clammy and anxious high school students, I meant it. I still mean it now as we've woven our way through door after door in the multiverse, and I am going to see that through until I lead us back to our physical home in Coolsville. _

I set the pen down and sighed, feeling as though something heavy had been removed from my shoulders. Daphne looked up, sensing that I was complete, and we both stood, meeting each other in the middle of the box. Suddenly overcome with emotion after having recalled the memory of dancing with Daphne for the first time, I leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.

"I think I'm ready to lead us back home," I said, and she beamed. "But I think the Crystal Cove gang is right; I need your help. Will you read what I wrote, and when you're done, will you put your hair in this wand with mine and then take my hand and follow me down the corridor?"

Daphne wordlessly took the notebook from my hands and started reading, and as she reads, I pulled the vials from our backpacks, prepared to take the drug once she's finished reading. I know that she has read everything when she starts tearing up and pulls me in for a warm embrace. I could feel her body shaking, and tears that aren't my own started wetting my cheek. She pulled away and kissed me on the lips, and I held her in my arms as she cupped my face in her hands.

"Oh Freddy, I would follow you anywhere, too," she whispered. "I love you."

I passed her the drug and we clinked our vials together. "One last time," I whispered to her. "Let's follow each other down this hallway and find our home, and then never look back."

We both threw back the vials and watched as the corridor expanded, and instantly we both moved our hands to our own scalp, pulling a strand of hair delicately. We both winced, but quickly rebounded from the pain as we shoved the hair into the wand. Once the wand blinked a few times and then went out, we smiled at each other, and I fought the panic and bile threatening to rise in my throat as I laced my hand in Daphne's and lead us down the corridor, the beam of our flashlight gliding off the walls.

After a couple minutes, something intrinsically pulled me towards a door about ten steps away from us, a door just like all the rest. Wordlessly, I lead us to the door, waving the wand over the other ones as we went, but the moment we stopped in front of the door, the wand illuminated a bright, icy blue, and the light never faded.

Daphne and I looked at each other, and she gripped my hand as I reached my hand towards this door, this last shot, this one in a trillion, trillion, trillion. I knew that no matter what lay on the other side, we would have each other, and as long as I had Daphne I would still have a home, but we both wanted our physical home, and our friends, more than anything. We wanted the mysteries and the guys in corny costumes and the complicated and unsure futures, and Shaggy and Velma and Scooby. We wanted Mystery Incorporated back, and nothing more.

Daphne squeezed my hand, and I drew in a deep breath, let it out, and then I opened the door.


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note: **I can't believe I'm saying this, but there's just one chapter left after this! (Well, maybe two, but as of now, I have only one in mind, but we'll see how long-winded I become in the conclusion!) I really enjoyed writing this story, even if I haven't been able to update as consistently as I would have liked, and I hope you are enjoying this still, too. Thanks again to everyone who has been reviewing and silently following along, as I appreciate it! I hope you enjoy this next installment, and as always, please leave a review! - iamacliche

* * *

**Chapter 23**

As soon as we stepped through the threshold of the door, we were instantly plunged into darkness, and I felt my heart drop into the pit of my stomach. Panic consumed me, nibbling away at my thoughts and my sanity, but I attempted to breathe in and steady myself, and I squeezed Daphne's hand, which was still intertwined in mine, and I hoped she wasn't as horrified as I am. It takes my eyes a second to adjust, but as they do, I began to distinguish my surroundings. I could see the outline of hockey sticks and other miscellaneous sports equipment jammed in the corner of the room the box has dumped us in, and the room itself had a sharp, pungent scent to it, almost like sweat and dirty clothes.

"Where are we?" Daphne whispered, her hand beginning to shake in mine. I shook my head, not realizing that she probably couldn't see me in the darkness. I reluctantly wandered away from the box, trying to temper my hope so that I'm not disappointed again if this isn't our home. I silent the screaming voice in mind telling me that this is it, this world was our last shot, and now we're stuck with whatever we've gotten ourselves into, when the outline of a door frame catches my eye. Propelled by adrenaline alone, I guided us toward the door wordlessly and pushed through, with Daphne still trailing behind me.

The second we stepped outside, I could plainly see the outline of the fence that encircles our school, along with the football field and the stadium perched behind the building, despite the fact that it's evening and the only light outside is emitted from the stars stitched together in the sky. And as I gaze upon the school and the football stadium, somehow I know it's the very same field where Daphne and I were cajoled into marching into the gym at gunpoint. I craned my neck to look at the building we've just emerged from to see that the box has dumped us into the school shed, which is where the coaches and teachers keep sports equipment for gym classes and sports events, and suddenly an idea slams into me. Releasing Daphne's hand, I move towards the side of the shed, looking frantically for the proof I need that tethers us to this world, our home world. Daphne follows me without speaking, and I know she intrinsically knows that I'm looking for the initials the five of us engraved into the side of the shed after our first mystery, the very same mystery I had detailed in the notebook moments ago. The act had been a pact of sorts, something bold and tangible intended to proclaim our friendship and our shared passion for mystery solving. As I run my hands over the wood, wincing when a splinter grates against my finger, my heart knocked against my ribcage, and when my fingers brushed against the "F.J." clustered near a constellation of four other initials that I know all too well, I'm not sure if I want to cry or laugh or throw-up in the grass, or all three.

Daphne placed a hand on my shoulder and rubbed her other hand in circles on my back, and when I felt her touch, I realized I was shaking. "Freddy," she said gently. "There's still a small chance that this world is a close resemblance of our own, but isn't quite – "

She was interrupted by a scream that pierced the night sky; the scream was the kind of pained, guttural shrill that a wild animal emits just before it is hunted and killed, or the kind of scream that insinuates someone has just been dumped by his or her significant other –

_Or the kind of scream loosened from the throat of someone who has been stabbed to death_.

The thought breezes into my mind, and I feel as though I've been submerged in a bathtub full of ice cubes. Daphne and I shoot each other a frantic look, and I see the panic in her eyes, which are wider than golf balls, and I point towards the school. "I think it's coming from the gym," I say breathlessly, despite the fact that I haven't even been running. Daphne reached for my arm and in a second we're off, running towards the school and shoving our way through the familiar doors of Coolsville High School and fleeing past lockers and poster boards with announcements that were advertised for events coming up from before we were kidnapped, before our lives were uprooted and changed forever, and when we finally reach the gymnasium and heave ourselves through the double doors, both of us stop dead in our tracks as we take in the sight before us, and I instantly felt my heart plummet into my chest as my body went simultaneously numb with fear and enflamed with rage.

Standing before us with their backs turned against us was Velma, Scooby, and a multiverse version of Daphne. The two of them were grouped around Velma, their arms slung around her defensively as tears silently rolled down her cheeks. All three of them were casting angry and disapproving glares at a multiverse version of Fred, who had the annihilated scraps of a net bunched around his feet.

And then I see the multiverse Fred not only standing next to Shaggy, but gripping Shaggy in a neck lock, with a knife angled dangerously close to poor Shaggy's neck.

Immediately a dose of adrenaline slams into me as the room spins and slacks around me; I'm hit with a wall of noise as I register Velma, the multiverse Daphne, and Scooby all screaming and begging the multiverse Fred to spare Shaggy's life. Shaggy's eyes are bulging out of his head and tears are silently streaming down his neck, and when the multiverse Fred leans in real close and narrows his eyes into thin slits, I can hear him whisper faintly, "Any last words then, Shaggy?"

Before anyone can move or breathe or cry another tear, Daphne and I rush forward, moving in tandem and boosted by blind rage, and somehow I manage to scream out without so much as a waver in my voice, "STOP IT!"

Immediately, everyone pauses, even me and Daphne. Velma stops crying and slowly drags her gaze towards us, and when she sees us, her mouth drops open, but no words come out. The multiverse Daphne's hands fly to her face and I hear her gasp, and Scooby's tail begins wagging. But the best reaction is the multiverse Fred, who clearly wasn't expecting me and Daphne to ruin his plan. He looks as though he is staring at a ghost, which, I guess is true to a certain extent. His face has drained of any color, and his mouth is opening and closing shut rapidly, like a fish. Thankfully, he is so thrown that he lowers the knife from Shaggy's throat, and Shaggy shimmies out of Fred's loosened grasp and speeds over to his friends, collapsing into Velma's arms and sobbing as Scooby licks his best friend's face over and over.

"No way," I hear the multiverse Fred mumble. "No way – it…it can't be!"

The multiverse Fred stumbles back a few steps, and Daphne and I step towards him. My body feels as though it is on fire; my face is burning and the tips of my fingers feel as though I could shoot flames from my limbs, and my legs are throbbing, screaming with the desire to take the multiverse Fred down and end this whole nightmare for good. But then he seems to regain his composer, and a new emotion floods his face, one I can't easily distinguish. He smirks, as though he knows a secret that everyone else is dying to hear, and he speaks, pointing the knife in me and Daphne's general direction as he talks, saying, "Well well well, look who actually managed to make it home. Sorry, if I had known the two of you would actually come back, I would have had a nice Homecoming party all ready for you."

Every part of my body is trembling, from my arms and hands to my legs, and my heart is pounding so loud that I feel as though certainly everyone can hear it, but this is a powerful kind of rage; this rage has been brewing since the moment Daphne and I discovered we were uprooted and planted in a world far from our own, and now I was ready to spit all that blinding white heat into the multiverse Fred's smug face.

"How. Could. _You." _I snarl as I eye him, taking a step towards him as I spit my words out vehemently, which causes the multiverse Fred to take a step backwards. "How could you do this to me and Daphne?! Do you know the shit we had to go through just to find our way back home! We honestly thought we would never make it back here and see our friends and family again! How could you do something so selfish?!"

"And you, too!" my Daphne adds, turning to point an accusatory finger at the multiverse Daphne, who gasps and reels away from Daphne as though she has been struck in the face. "How could you live with yourself, as well?! What the hell is wrong with the both of you? Don't you have a conscience?!"

The multiverse Daphne looks visibly upset; she keeps swallowing, as though she can't spit out any of the words she wants to say, and her eyes are glazing over, indicating that she is about to cry. "But I, I, I– " she stammered.

"Oh, _she_ thinks she feels guilty, but _I_ certainly don't regret this one bit," the multiverse Fred interrupted his own girlfriend as he rolled his eyes, as though he's above this whole exchange. "And I'm still going to get away with it," he adds, nodding subtly towards the knife he's holding in his hand, which causes my heart to stutter.

"Just what do you think you're going to do, stab us all?!" I ask, hoping the panic doesn't bleed into my voice as I eye Daphne beside me and my friends shaking as they stand across from Fred. The roof of my mouth suddenly was coated in a sharp, metallic taste, and a shiver snakes down my spine as a sense of foreshadowing ghosts across my mind, but I attempt to breathe slowly and calmly, telling myself that there is no way we can lose because he is outnumbered. Without breaking my eye contact with the multiverse Fred so as to tip him off, I sweep my gaze around the gym, attempting to mentally calculate how to take him down without harming any of my friends.

The multiverse Fred chuckled, his laugh ballooning to the point where he's nearly crying as he looks at me, and I feel my anger flare. "Ohh Freddy, how sweet of you to try and play the hero," he laughs. "You forgot one thing though – you and I are essentially the same. In fact, I would venture to say we're better than best friends, you and I, and that I know you better than you know yourself – "

"Don't listen to him!" Daphne whispers vehemently beside me. "He's just trying to get into your head – don't let him do it!"

"And I know you want to play hero and save the day and beat the quote unquote 'bad guy' here, but you're the only bad guy I see here," the multiverse Fred continues. "Why don't you just admit it to your pathetic little friends, Freddy? I gave everyone what they wanted here."

I feel the goosebumps spread across my arms, as though a breeze has skirted through the gym. "Fred, like, what is he ta-ta-talking about?" Shaggy asks from where he is standing, sandwiched between Velma and Scooby, with the multiverse Daphne strangely close to them, as well.

"Awww, Freddy," the multiverse Fred croons with fake sympathy, his voice dripping with saccharine, which makes me want to smash my fist into his face. "You mean you didn't tell your friends and your girlfriend how you wanted to go into the multiverse the millisecond Velma unveiled it at school? You didn't tell them how you knew that they were going to leave you behind the second you all graduated from high school, and you wanted to see if the multiverse could show you a world where you were mister cool and mister popular, a world where you actually had a future as bright as they all did?"

"You're disgusting!" Daphne spits her words out as though she's tasted something bitter and raw, her piercing glare aimed directly at multiverse Fred. "And look who's talking, Mr. Hypocrite! Freddy may have been curious to see what his life was like at other points, but what human isn't curious, even a little? And he would never be fucked up enough to actually kidnap someone at gun point and coerce them into the box itself! You can't even compare him to what you and your girlfriend have done here!"

"She's right, Freddy," the multiverse Daphne chokes on her own tears as she watches beside our friends, and I flinch, confused as to what her angle is here. "You can't talk, because you went and took things one step further!"

"Oh for crying out loud, you did it too!" My Daphne snaps, and again the multiverse Daphne looks stung, as though she is offended. "Why are you acting all innocent here? You were right there next to him with a gun in your own hand! As far as I could tell, no one made you do it, sweetheart!"

"Daphne," Velma says, quietly and gently. "You don't understand – "

"No Velma, she's right," the multiverse Daphne says, tears streaming down her face, and I'm too stunned to say anything in response. Is the multiverse Daphne truly remorseful here, or is she trying to lower our guard? After all, her boyfriend has a knife and she came here with him, so what other reason is there for her to act this way? What does she have to gain? And why are Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby standing next to her as though she isn't a liar?

As if she can read my thoughts, my Daphne cried, "Oh, cut the bullshit act – it's obvious you're just trying to play us all so you and your boyfriend can try and get away with this, but Freddy and I are back now, and we aren't going to let you two usurp us from our own lives any longer!"

The multiverse Daphne is crying harder now; she is gasping for breath as her mascara trails two dark streaks across her cheeks, and in a shocking moment, Velma tenderly wipes the tears from her face. I can't help but shake my head, baffled that Velma would be bought over by her crap. "I don't know how I can ever convince you both that I do feel guilty about what I've done," the multiverse Daphne says through hiccups and sniffles. "But Daphne, I mean it – I am truly so sorry. I never meant for things to get this far, and I –"

"Okay Daphne, that's enough!" the multiverse Fred cut his girlfriend off again. "Okay, fine, maybe she feels guilty, which is strange, because I sure as hell don't feel bad at all. And Fred, your little girlfriend is right; maybe I was a hypocrite for getting on your case about wanting to investigate the multiverse a bit. Fine, I'll admit it; I wanted what you had in your world. I'm sure my ex-friends all told you once you figured out what was going on, but we disbanded Mystery Incorporated months ago, and even though I had an awesome car and the hot girlfriend and a football scholarship to pretty much any school of my own choosing, I craved the mysteries and the memories with my old friends. Sure, I definitely had everything I ever wanted, but losing my friends haunted me. None of them would talk to me anymore, for whatever reason, and Daphne and I were starting to miss their company," – and here the multiverse Daphne bowed her head toward the ground, as though the guilt was physically pressing her shoulders; her eyes were closed, and more tears escaped from her eyes – "so I came up with this plan to swap lives with you and your girlfriend. It took some persuading on her part, but she missed everyone too, so it all worked out, or would have if you hadn't so rudely returned."

The multiverse Fred narrowed his eyes at me as he continued speaking, his face hardening, and he spat, "Just admit it, Fred; I handed you, both of us, what everyone secretly wants. You wanted to know what it felt like to be mister hot shot and have a promising future and adoring parents, and I wanted my life back the way it was. I even sent your girlfriend with you so you wouldn't able alone – aren't I considerate? So I'm not sure why you're so mad at me, Fred."

I'm trembling and shaking violently, and I'm so blinded with pure emotion that I'm not sure if I can answer him concisely, but I point to where my friends are standing and screech, "I'm mad because I don't want the life you tried to give me, Fred! I'm mad because you took the life I built around solving mysteries and being with my best friends."

"You had your chance with _your _version of Mystery Incorporated back home!" my Daphne adds, her voice just as wobbly and strained as mine. "You should have stayed with them all those months ago, instead of fucking up our own lives and making us go through the multiverse to get back home!"

"You just don't get it," the multiverse Fred sighed, as though he was growing impatient. "You see, every moment contains a choice, but life isn't perfect, and sometimes, we make the wrong choice. When we make the wrong choice, especially one that drastically alters our lives for the worse, we live in a state of regret, and isn't that the worst feeling in the world? Right, Daphne?" he looked to his girlfriend for support, but she was still sobbing and sniffing, and looking towards the ground, so he shook his head as though he was disappointed and shifted his attention back to me and my Daphne. "Well, I know that at the very least, Velma – both my old friend Velma, and _your_ Velma – can relate to that feeling to a point, because she built something that would eradicate that horrible feeling of regret. All Daphne and I did was find a world where we still had the friends and the mystery solving, and then we rectified that feeling of regret."

"But you abused my invention!" Velma screamed, her eyes aflame with an anger I had never seen Velma exhibit before. "I most certainly did not build the multiverse with this intention! I swear, my plans were pure; I wanted to eradicate world hunger and war, _not_ the feeling of regret as you keep insinuating! Life doesn't work the way that you've described; you have to live with your choices, and learn from your mistakes. You don't cheat the system!"

"Ahhh, very wise words coming from the inventor of the multiverse herself!" the multiverse Fred began to clap his hands sarcastically, and again, my mouth feels as though it's filled with copper or pennies, and I know I'm dangerously close to puking. "You can say what you want, Velma, but you're only contradicting yourself as the creator of that box. And besides, it doesn't even matter now, because I'm still going to get my way. I'm going to take out these Fred and Daphne _imposters_, and then my Daphne and I are going to take their place as the _real_ versions of those two!"

In spite of the dark circumstances and fatal situation the multiverse Fred is suggesting, I can't help but chortle. "Okay Fred, so your plan is to kill us, and then take our place? So let me get this straight here; so you kill me and Daphne in front of everyone else, and then what? What does that get you? It won't make our friends want to be friends with you, obviously."

I watch this piece of information register with the multiverse Fred, who flinches for a moment, but his posture and the knife in his hand don't waver. "Fine then, Freddy boy – you make a great point," he sneered. "But then if I can't have them, neither can you, so I'm going to make you sit back and watch me take down everyone you love!"

"If you even try to come near any of them with that knife, then I'll take you down first," I snapped. "You're too far away from everyone else, and I'll reach you before you can hurt them, and I'm going to stop you from getting to them, even if it kills me doing it."

"Freddy," Daphne murmured beside me. "You won't do this alone, we can take him down together, I know – "

But then he reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a small gun, and when he aims it right at my Velma and Shaggy and Scooby, who scream and cry out in terror upon seeing the gun, I feel as though the air has been sucked out of the gym.

"WAIT!" I screeched, throwing my hands up in the air. "Don't do anything! What if we make a deal?"

The multiverse Fred's face hardened and he glanced in my direction, but the hand holding the gun didn't falter. "What are you talking about? What kind of a deal are we talking here, Jones?"

I take a deep breath as I attempt to steady my nerves, and I feel something prick at the back of my eyes and my heart gallops in my chest at the proposal I'm about to vocalize, but when I look at Velma and Shaggy and Scooby, I've never been so sure of anything else in my life.

"Take me instead, and leave my friends and Daphne alone," I say as calmly and slowly as possible. "This is between you and I now. Let's fight it out and see who wins here; if you win, then you can stay here and have my place, and you and your Daphne can keep your lives, but you have to promise not to hurt my friends and Daphne. But if I win, then you and Daphne have to leave, and go back to your Coolsville."

"FREDDY!" My Daphne shrills, gripping my arm. "There's no way we're going to let you agree to those terms! Are you crazy, Freddy?! He has a gun! There's no way you're going to beat him in any sort of fight!"

The multiverse Fred laughs, and for a moment, I've never been so horrified in my life. "Your girlfriend is right, Freddy; surely you know that you won't win in a fight against a man with a knife _and_ a gun, but your idea is good. All right, let's make a deal then. I promise to fight and kill you, right here and right now, and in exchange for your life, I'll take your friends, and I'll claim my place as Fred Jones, leader of Mystery Incorporated in your world."

"NO WAY!" My Daphne is screaming now, incredulous, as she looks between me and the multiverse Fred and grips my arm even tighter now. "There is no way I'm going to let you do this, Fred! We can fight him together, really!"

"You better reason with your girlfriend there, Fred," the multiverse Fred chuckles. "Because in a minute, I'm going to make you watch me shoot her, and then you're next!"

I felt a lump rising in my throat, and my tongue felt thick and heavy, like sand paper. I turned to Velma, Shaggy, Scooby, and the multiverse Daphne, who are all silently crying as they watched us. "Can you guys come here and get Daphne for me, please?" I managed to croak, my voice cracking with emotion as I speak.

"Freddy, don't do this!" Daphne begged, the tears falling from her eyes shamelessly. As Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby, wordlessly moved towards us, they trudged slowly and painfully, as though they were marching in a funeral procession. Seeing them walk to us, Daphne flung herself into my arms, and I could feel her heart beating erratically in her chest as she sobbed into my arms. I bit my lip to keep from crying as I inhaled her apricot scented hair one last time.

"It isn't fair!" she wailed. I could feel the sleeves on my shirt soaking with her tears, but I just ran my hands through her hair and tried to focus on holding back my own tears; instead, I committed to memory the way she felt in my arms and her apricot scented hair, and I allowed myself to be consumed with memories of our first kiss and first dance. "It isn't fair!" she repeated, as she continued sobbing and hiccupping. "We just made it through the multiverse and we were almost killed multiple times, and now that we're back home, I have to lose you?! This isn't right! I won't leave you, Freddy! I won't let you go through with this!"

"Baby," I whispered, and I instantly hated myself for the hitch in my throat that betrayed the tears in my eyes. "I love you so much, but I have to do this to save all of you. Please don't make this harder than it has to be. I can't let anything happen to you all; this is the final thing I have to do as the leader of Mystery Incorporated."

"You don't have to do this!" Daphne wailed. "Let me fight him with you!"

"There's no way," I said more adamantly. I pulled my face out of Daphne's hair to see that Velma, Scooby, and Shaggy were now encircling us, and I willed myself not to waver as I stared at their tear stained cheeks, instead affirming how lucky I was to be dying for four amazing people who I loved so much. "Daph, there's no way I can let you fight him with me. You're right, it's awful that we had to go through the multiverse, but I promise this is almost over, and you were so brave. This isn't easy for me either, but I have to do my part as leader of Mystery Incorporated and make sure you are all safe. I promised to keep you safe when this all started, and I'm not going back on it now."

She leaned in and kissed me then, and that one kiss was filled with all the passion and love she had conveyed in our entire relationship. It was laced with sadness and crushing despair, and she tasted salty, like the tears that slipped down her cheeks, but there was still that familiar tinge of warmth layered beneath her kiss, and I vowed to let this kiss be the final thing I remembered when the multiverse Fred turned the barrel of the gun into my face.

"Okay, tick tock," the multiverse Fred snapped. "Come on now, I'm doing waiting around, Fred. Have your friends take your girlfriend, and let's move it!"

Daphne gripped my arm even tighter, and I thought she was going to wrench my arm right off from how hard she was holding onto me. "I'm not moving!" she cried. "None of you can make me go!"

I felt hollowed-out and numb as I turned to Velma, and luckily I didn't have to say anything before Velma stuttered, tears trickling down her face once more as she turned to Daphne and gently said, "Daphne, sweetheart, Freddy is trying to save our lives. If we don't move right now, then this selfless gesture is going to go to waste. Please take my hand, and let's stand beside your, er, let's go stand next to the other Daphne."

I didn't think it would be enough to convince Daphne, who looked at me with a blank look in her eyes, as if I had already been shot right in front of her. "Like, please don't make us carry you, Daph," Shaggy whispered softly. Scooby whined and pawed the ground.

Daphne shook her head and kissed me once more, softly, and pulled away, covering her hands in her face as her body was wracked with tears. Shaggy clapped my back, once, and murmured that I was the best friend I could ever ask for, while Velma's eyes filled with tears as she told me she was so sorry for ever inventing the multiverse. I just smiled at them and gestured towards Daphne, who was still trying to cling to my arm. Shaggy and Velma sighed, defeated, and gently looped their arms through her's and pulled her towards the multiverse Daphne, who stepped towards my friends and Daphne tentatively, like an uncertain child. I had to blink my eyes and do a double-take when I saw both Daphnes standing together; both were somehow wearing the almost exact same outfit, with the small difference between their purple skirt and matching jacket being the green scarf wrapped around the multiverse Daphne's neck.

"Daphne, I am so sorry," the multiverse Daphne said softly, as she moved gingerly towards my Daphne. The multiverse Daphne tenderly placed her hand on my Daphne's back. "I promise you, I will do anything I can to prove that I'm sorry and to make this right, and –"

"MAKE THIS RIGHT!?" My Daphne yelped incredulously. She slapped the multiverse Daphne's hand away from her, causing the multiverse Daphne to flinch as the hurt flooded her face and crimson filtered into her cheeks. "It's a little too late for that now, Daph! Thanks for kidnapping me and taking my boyfriend and I far from our home and now letting your boyfriend shoot mine right in front of us! I'm not so sure what there is you can do to make this right at this point, so just shut the hell up and leave me alone!"

The multiverse Daphne set her jaw firmly as she stared at my Daphne, but her eyes still looked visibly pained and crestfallen. "I mean it," she murmured. "I'll show you, I can make this right again!"

"Okay, now that that's over with, it's time to get this over and done," the multiverse Fred said. "Freddy, prepare to – "

But he didn't get to finish his sentence, because in an instant, I had unzipped my jacket and thrown it onto his head, causing him to become distorted, and I rushed him before he could even have a chance to recover. We both fell onto the ground, and the knife he was holding in his left hand clattered to the ground and slid somewhere out of my peripheral vision, while the hand that was holding the gun smashed against the smooth gym floor. Somehow, he kept his grip locked firmly around the barrel. I drew my fist back to smash his face but in one fluid movement he yanked the jacket off of his face and shoved me off him, hard. Slightly thrown, I rolled onto the gym ground, and before I could jump back to my feet the multiverse Fred drew his foot back and kicked me swiftly in the gut three times, knocking the wind right out of my lungs every single time. In the distance, I could hear Daphne screaming and crying, and I could hear Velma and Shaggy begging the multiverse Fred to stop.

"Ohhh Fred, you thought you stood a chance, and I can't blame you; I would fight for these friends of your's, too," the multiverse Fred sneered as he stood over me. He thrust the gun just inches away from my face and grinned, and he placed his fingers around the trigger. "Any last words, then?"

They say your life flashes before your eyes just before you die, and as my ears registered the distant noise of Daphne and Shaggy and Scooby and Velma all screaming, I could actually see my death coming on the horizon, and I was speechless as a fleeting image of me as a little kid floats into my mind. In the memory, I'm five years old, and I'm dribbling a soccer ball through the backyard of my grandparent's house. It's a warm spring day, and I can practically feel the sun kiss my cheek and see the clear blue sky stretched above me, and I'm guiding the ball towards a space between two maple trees, which I've designated as the "goal." And in that moment, in spite of everything, I can't help but think, "Why is this the last memory of my life as I'm on the brink of death? Was I the happiest I had ever been in that moment? The most pure, the most myself, the most innocent?"

The multiverse Fred is about to pull the trigger when we both pause, stunned to hear Daphne scream, "STOP!"

And then everything happens in slow motion, and time feels as though it stops.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Daphne running towards us, with the knife that the multiverse Fred had dropped when I rushed him yielded high above her head. Her face was streaked with tears and her hair was sticking up as though she has just run through a storm, but her eyes are fixed upon us firmly, and the blue irises are enflamed with intent, and she's staring at the gun in the multiverse Fred's hand. I feel as though I'm swimming underwater, trudging too slowly against a current and hearing noises from below the surface of a wave as the sound of everyone else's screams are muffled. The multiverse Fred slowly and calmly raised his gun and aimed it at Daphne, and I feel as though I've been zapped by electricity. I jumped to grab his arm, but I'm too slow and it's too late, and I watch as his finger presses on the trigger, and I know I'm screaming because my throat is raw and hoarse, but I don't hear my screams or my friends screams or even Daphne's screams, I don't hear anything except the bullet that is dislodged from the gun, and I just stand there and watch helplessly as a small black hole pierces Daphne's sternum and the bright red blood spills out of her and streams down the center of her chest, and her mouth drops open in shock while the knife plunges from her hand and onto the floor, and just before she collapses I see her mouth trying to work, I see her pink petal colored lips sputter, trying to form a question, a name, my name, she squeals, "Freddy?" and in an instant she topples over and crumples to the ground in front of us, and I'm still screaming and crying, even as I collapse to the ground beside her and cradle her in my arms, even as my hand flies to her chest to check for her heartbeat and feels no rhythm beneath my palms, and when I pull my hand away my fingers are stained with her blood, it's too bright and red and it's everywhere, and I never thought I would see the day when her blood is everywhere it's all over me, it's sticky and warm, and I keep screaming, and I keep begging her to be okay, even though I already know she isn't okay, even though I already know I'm already too late, even though I already know she's dead and gone forever.


	24. Chapter 24

**Author Note: **Holy crap, I can't believe I'm typing this, but if you're reading this right now, then congrats! You have officially reached the final chapter. I just wanted to say thank you, thank you, thank you, sincerely, from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has read and reviewed this over the past six or seven months. This idea started small and expanded as I wrote the fanfic, and I honestly never expected it to become as long as it did, but to be honest, I am so proud of the story that it's evolved into, and I am so thrilled that so many of you enjoyed this. I want to give a shout-out to my consistent reviewers, K and Minnie, who are both guest reviewers, and AnonymousAva and thequeenxofhearts, who are both a couple of the most talented Scooby Doo fanfic writers on this entire site. I am so indebted to all of my readers, but I am especially grateful for you four. There were so many times when I wondered if anyone would notice if this story just ended when I was frustrated last fall, but whenever I saw your constant reviews and support, I knew I wanted to finish it so you guys could have a conclusion to the story you spent so much time investing in and reviewing.

And now that this is over, the question arises as to whether or not I will continue writing fanfics, and to be honest, I think I am going to take a small break. I do want to return to writing more stories, but I've reached a point in my life where I have a lot going on, and I don't have tons of personal time to devote to another long-winded, nuanced story like this one. I think that when I do return, it will be with some one-shots and some fluff/every day life to balance the first two serious stories I've put forth, and I do hope/aim to return with another full length story like this one, but it most likely won't be until early spring of this year. I do have a list of tumblr prompts thequeenxofhearts sent me, and I think that when I'm ready, I may start by tackling some of the writing challenges since those don't necessarily require consistent story updates. But for now, I just want to bask in the fact that I somehow created this long ass story (it's just shy of 400 pages, double spaced, on my Word doc!) and spend some time reading some of the awesome Scooby Doo fanfics floating around online right now, of which there are so many.

Again, as with every other chapter, I hope you enjoy this latest - and final - installment. I would love to hear of your thoughts on the conclusion in the reviews, and your thoughts on the entire story in general, as I do plan to check in still consistently, even though I may not write for awhile. And as always, I appreciate everyone's support and feedback and reviews.

With love,

iamacliche

* * *

**Chapter 24**

_"Like, Freddy, calm down, all right?" Shaggy says, grabbing both of my shoulders with his hands and shaking me, as if the physical act of jostling me around will still my nervous energy. "Daphne is, like, gonna be totally fine; I know the freaky vampire guy has her, like, kidnapped, but we can get her back!"_

_"Shaggy, you don't understand!" I exclaim, squirming out of his grip so I can continue pacing across the front of the gymnasium. It's a few hours after the vampire has interrupted the school dance, but there are still traces of the event strewn throughout the gym floor. Crushed flower petals, derived from the remnants from the corsages that dangled daintily from the wrists of the girls at Coolsville High, are sprinkled around the floor, along with the occasional high heel. The deejay booth is still stationed at the front, but one of the monitors has been knocked over, and the deejay has long since abandoned his post. The gang and I were hoping to catch the vampire and retrieve the cash box prize in time for the end of the dance, but as we chased him around the school and attempted to piece together the clues for our first mystery, at some point Daphne had somehow been kidnapped, even though I had done my best to keep my eye on each of my friends at all times. And now we were right back where we had started, in the middle of the gym where Daphne and I had just enjoyed our slow dance only a few hours earlier, and I was a nervous wreck. I couldn't stop berating myself for getting my friends and I into this mess, and for allowing Daphne to get kidnapped. How could I innocently believe that this had been anything like reading my favorite mystery novels? Those books were works of fiction, and the good guy always won out in the end, and while the danger and action weren't necessarily minimal, but they didn't directly impact the people I knew and loved. I was so naïve to believe that we could seamlessly solve this mystery within minutes and have a conclusion like those books, all neat and tied up with a pretty bow. _

_"Freddy, Shaggy is right," Velma interrupts with a cough. "I know this is scary, and I am just as worried about Daphne as you are right now, but this panic attack won't help us bring her back. What we have to do is develop some sort of idea for a trap so we can finally nab this creep!"_

_"Oh, I don't think that capturing me will be necessary, Velma Dinkley!" _

_Velma, Shaggy, and I all whipped our heads towards the cackling voice, which was coming from the other side of the gym, and discovered that we were face-to-face with the vampire. And when I saw that he was gripping Daphne and that he had her hands tied behind her back, my heart clenched and unclenched inside my chest like a fist._

_"Freddy? Guys?" Daphne choked, her eyes wide with fear and glossy with tears. The vampire merely guffawed again, and I felt hot and enflamed all over, as though my blood was boiling inside my veins._

_I rushed towards the vampire, propelled by anger and adrenaline, but he stumbled back as I approached, heaving a horrified Daphne to stumble alongside him. I could feel the sweat streaming down my back and my heart galloped as I could only focus on one thing: saving her and keeping her safe._

_"Hey ass hole, let go of her!" I screeched, pointing an accusatory finger in his direction. "If you don't do it right now, you'll be sorry!"_

_The vampire merely sniggered again, obviously undeterred by my vague threat. "You're too late, Romeo," the vampire sneered. "I'm about to take a bite out of your precious girlfriend's neck, and she is going to join me forever!"_

_Daphne's face paled as she struggled to writhe out of the vampire's grasp. "Freddy," she breathed, her voice low. "Don't worry about saving me, just save yourselves!"_

_"It's too late for you anyway, sweetheart!" The vampire laughed as though he had heard the funniest joke in the world. He lurched towards her suddenly, and when she attempted to move away from him, he forced her against his side and jeered, "Now, let me taste that sweet, delicious blood of your's!"_

_And he began moving towards her pure white skin neck, but I was running towards him and had tackled him in seconds, effectively taking him down onto the ground, which caused him to disconnect his grip on Daphne as well, and she tumbled to the ground near us. Admittedly, I wasn't the most popular football player on the high school's team, but years of playing the sport had taught me how to move swiftly so that the opposing team (or in this case, monster) had little time to react. After I had collided into him I straddled his waist, and I was blinded by rage as I pummeled his face with my fists. It had taken all the other members of the gang to wrench me off him before I stopped, and by then I had punched the vampire so many times that his mask had slipped right off his face, revealing the first culprit we had ever unmasked, who was none other than Jordan, the boy who had been hitting on Daphne moments before I had stolen her for a dance. When the cops arrived, Jordan admitted his motive in dressing up as the vampire was his disgruntled attitude over not having been nominated for Homecoming King; he wanted to claim the cash prize – and Daphne – all for himself. _

_After the gang debriefed the cops on the case, the five of us watched the cops guide Jordan, who was now handcuffed, into the cop car, and something light and warm filtered into my veins. Standing on the outside of the school steps with Daphne, Shaggy, Scooby, and Velma, I felt as though the universe had crafted this night so that it had unfurled the way it had on purpose, and something inside of me craved more of the satisfying feeling of watching Jordan duck into the back of a cop car at the conclusion of unravelling this mystery. _

_I was jarred from my reverie by Daphne, who had placed her hand on my arm and was grinning at me shyly. "Freddy," she said sweetly, and I felt my heart flutter in my chest. "I don't know what to say, except thank you for saving me. I was worried for a minute there that I was about to become Jordan's vampire wife or something!'_

_In spite of the heaviness of the situation, I couldn't help but laugh, and I smiled at her as I tucked a lock of her red hair behind her ears, which caused her to blush, but only faintly. Between having Daphne back safe and solving this case, I was feeling bold; the usual uncertainty that shrouded me whenever I talked to Daphne or felt the urge to banter and flirt with her had wilted. I was drunk off the events of the past evening, so I closed the little space between us and pulled her to me gently. _

_"No need to thank me, Daph," I replied. "I'll always keep you safe, no matter what happens. But, if you wanted to pay me back with another slow dance sometime, I definitely wouldn't be opposed to it."_

_The crimson on Daphne's cheeks deepened, and I couldn't help but secretly marvel at having made her blush. "It would be my honor, Mr. Jones," she said, a smiling stretching across her face as she threaded her hand through mine._

* * *

I had kept her safe then, during our very first mystery; I had swooped in just before danger could befall her, and I had always managed to wedge myself between Daphne and any harm. I always prided myself on saving her whenever she was kidnapped, and I always wanted to keep her safe.

But I couldn't save her this time; I was too late.

As the blood continued to stream down Daphne's chest, I continued to hold her against me as the sobs and cries continued to wrack throughout my body violently. Holding her against me had caused her blood to color and stain the front of my shirt, but I hardly noticed; I was too distracted by the fact that after this entire experience, after going through every door together, Daphne had been wrenched away from me in our home world, of all places. I never would have fathomed that she could be killed so mercilessly right in front of me, and that I wouldn't be able to save her, like all the other times.

As I cried and screamed in anguish, my body felt numb all over, and I began rocking back and forth as I looked down at Daphne. Her face was distorted with shock, and her mouth had dropped as if to reflect this, and even her eyes were still wide open with fear, as though even in death, she was paying witness to all of the horrible events unfolding before us. I was so distraught that I couldn't speak nor beg her to stay with me any longer; all I could do was run my hand through her hair slowly and gently as I rocked her back and forth.

I felt as though I had been holding her for hours, but I'm pretty sure it had only been a few seconds since she was killed. The multiverse Fred hardly reacted as he watched us, but he was still towering above me, standing just a few feet away. He slowly and reluctantly lowered the gun to his side as his face twitched with some sort of undecipherable emotion, and normally I might have been glad to have seen his gun retreat, but right now, I really didn't care that much, and part of me hoped he would just aim the gun at my head and shoot me so I could die alongside Daphne and leave this horrible world forever.

And then I heard the sound of feet clattering against the ground as someone from the gang rushed towards me, and I distantly heard the multiverse Daphne's voice shrill, "Freddy! Freddy, it's not what you think!"

I arched my eyebrows with mild and disinterested confusion as I slowly raised my head towards the multiverse Daphne, who was now running towards me from where she had been standing with the rest of the gang. Her face was blotchy from crying, but she still looked exactly like my Daphne, and my heart squeezed and the tears gushed down my face as I stared at the shocking resemblance. A second later she was standing over me as I continued to cradle Daphne against me, and her mouth twisted in horror as she stared at Daphne in my arms. Her gaze flickered back to meet my eyes, and her face visibly paled by several shades. But then she lowered herself to sit on the ground beside me, and when she placed her hand on my shoulder, I jumped, startled by how similar her touch was to my Daphne's, and then she moved her lips and spoke again, penetrating the fog billowing in my mind, and she repeated, "Freddy, it's not what you think – I'm okay!"

Perplexed, I looked at the multiverse Daphne, who was staring at me with the familiar love and warmth I had so often seen in my own Daphne's eyes. I wasn't sure how she could continue insisting that I was misunderstanding what I had just witnessed; I had watched her boyfriend shoot and kill the love of my life in cold blood. I just stared at her as I continued to hold Daphne against me, but when she reached over and ran her fingers through my hair tenderly, my mind flipped back to all of those nights in the multiverse when Daphne and I had curled against each other in the box, and Daphne had run her hands through my hair affectionately as she attempted to soothe me after we had nearly been killed in whatever world we had managed to escape. I flinched as I tried to process how this multiverse Daphne could so closely resemble my own, but when my eyes drifted to her neck and noticed the green scarf that was missing, I gasped as all of the air was sucked out of my lungs. The fog in my mind quickly dissipated as I flashed back to the mental image I held of the gang in my mind from just minutes ago, and I distinctly recalled feeling jarred by the fact that both Daphnes had looked exactly the same, right down to the same outfit – with the exception of the green scarf tied neatly around the multiverse Daphne's neck, which was an accessory that my Daphne had lacked.

"Freddy, it's me – _I'm _your Daphne, not her!" Daphne said again, and when I glanced at the Daphne in my arms and saw the green scarf, which was now speckled with blood, tied around her neck, my heart sputtered and my eyes welled with fresh, salty tears.

_Of course – this whole time I had thought it was my Daphne who had been killed, when it had actually been the multiverse Daphne, and it was an easy mistake since they looked exactly the same, minus the one small, tiny distinction in their wardrobe. _

"Oh my God," I breathed, as I stared at my Daphne, who was alive and safe and crying her own fresh tears as she stared back at me. "You're – you're alive. Oh my God, so if you aren't dead, then that means this is actually – "

By now Shaggy, Scooby, and Velma had rushed over to stand beside us, as well, and as they flanked our side, I saw all three of them staring at the multiverse Daphne, who was still cradled in my arms. Scooby whined and moaned as he surveyed the scene before him, and Shaggy wrapped an arm around Velma, who had begun to sob loudly, her hands covering her face as her body convulsed and shuddered fiercely.

My Daphne slid closer to me, and she gazed down at the multiverse Daphne in my arms, who was still staring at the ceiling with wide, horrified eyes. "Oh my God," Daphne whispered. "She told me she was going to make things right just before she died, and I didn't want to hear it from her. I guess she wasn't joking when she said that, huh?"

I felt my throat knot as tears slid down my cheeks. Everything that had just happened was finally settling in; my Daphne was safe, yes, but the multiverse Daphne had selflessly attempted to not only kill her boyfriend, but she had saved my life in the process, as well. When Daphne and I were attempting to find our way back in the multiverse, we had been expecting our kidnappers to be cruel and relentless once we finally found our way home and confronted them. The multiverse Fred had certainly proved himself to be every bit as toxic and fatal as we had expected, but the multiverse Daphne had proved she was truly remorseful for her actions, and now I literally owed her my life.

As a sign of respect, my Daphne leaned over and gently closed the multiverse Daphne's eyes and lips, and she ran her hands through her counterpart's hair gently. "Wow," Daphne breathed. "I said so many mean things to her just before she died, but she still saved your life, and she must have known what she was going to do when she swore she would make things right. And now I can't even tell her that I'm sorry, or say thank you."

A thick, heavy silence had shrouded the gang and I as we attempted to process everything that had just happened; yes, I was immensely relieved that my Daphne was alive and safe, but now it had been at the cost of someone who once had hurt us, but could have turned out to be a good friend. And now that opportunity was taken away from us forever.

As this entire exchange had occurred, I almost forgot about the multiverse Fred, as he had been watching everything silently from the distance, but now he screamed and we all recoiled with surprise, shocked to see his red, blotchy face streaked with tears as he surveyed us from a few feet away.

"NO!" he screeched, his voice raw and coarse. Fred looked at the multiverse Daphne, who was still in my arms and was surrounded by the gang and I protectively; my Daphne was still running her hands through her counterpart's hair, and Velma had taken the multiverse Daphne's still hands in her own and was apologizing profusely for building the box, as if the multiverse Daphne could hear Velma and respond, but Velma stopped speaking when the multiverse Fred screamed.

"No no no no no nononono," the multiverse Fred spoke repeatedly, as though voicing his denial would make the scene before him vanish. "No, this isn't possible – but I thought – I thought she was the other –"

"Well, you were wrong," my Daphne said simply, eyeing him with contempt. "I'm right here, and I'm fine."

"Look at what your greed and actions have gotten you!" Velma spat, her face twisted with scorn and fury. "I will always regret building the box and the multiverse because of the events that have transpired over these past few weeks, but you were the one who pulled the trigger and killed her! You will never get away from the fact that _your_ selfish actions literally killed your own girlfriend; you have no one to blame but yourself!"

The multiverse Fred was shaking and trembling, and he dropped the gun to the ground beside him. I wasn't sure if our words had affected him or infiltrated his thoughts, but he was clearly stunned. He took a few shaky steps towards us, his arms outstretched. At first I felt something inside of me coil, and I feared for my friends' safety, but it became apparent that he was reaching for the multiverse Daphne. The gang knotted themselves around her collectively, as though they could still protect her from the multiverse Fred. He must have sensed our discomfort, because he stopped, and in a small, pathetic voice, he howled, "Please – oh please, just let me hold her."

The gang and I all exchanged glances, and something in me forced me to stand as I carried the multiverse Daphne's limp and bloody body and walked towards the other Fred, who met me halfway with trembling arms. I gingerly placed her in his outstretched arms, and I was surprised to see the emotion flood the multiverse Fred's face as he stared at his girlfriend, and like me, he too began to rock back and forth as he cradled Daphne in his arms. He dropped to the ground as he held her and began to wail, his voice guttural and primitive, like a dying animal. I stumbled back to stand beside my friends, and as the multiverse Fred cried over the multiverse Daphne's corpse I took my own Daphne into my arms and felt something loosen inside of me as a wave of contradicting emotions flooded me. I buried my face in her hair and her neck and sobbed, allowing the relief of having her safe and in my arms once again to consume me, while I also wrestled with the fact that the multiverse Daphne had given us something so precious and valuable, something we would never be able to repay. I knew that Daphne was feeling the same way, because I could feel my sleeves spotting with her tears, and her body shuddered and vibrated with emotion, too.

The gym was eerily quiet as Daphne and I cried and held each other, and the gang shuffled behind us and threaded themselves around us comfortingly, and I sighed, allowing their friendship and love to warm me, and I finally let myself feel grateful to finally be reunited with the gang after everything that had happened. We were wrapped up in each other and too busy comforting each other, so we weren't watching the multiverse Fred, whom we had assumed was still preoccupied with grieving over his girlfriend's body.

But when we heard the click of a bullet sliding in the barrel of the gun we all jumped and flew apart from each other, and we turned to see the multiverse Fred, who was still cradling Daphne with one hand, but now had used his other hand to level the gun against the side of his head.

My body jolted, thrumming with shock and terror as the multiverse Fred blinked at us, his eyes empty and flat. His hand gripped the gun as he eyed us defiantly, almost daring us to stop him.

"You guys are right," the multiverse Fred stated grimly, his voice monotone and flat. "I'm the cause of all of this, and I allowed my greed and selfish desire to do all of this. I should have listened to Daphne when she first came to me the day after we switched lives; she felt guilty only a day or two after it happened. She was always a much better person than I was; I truly didn't deserve her. But God knows that I loved her so fucking much, and look what I did to the one person I ever cared about."

The roof of my mouth felt dry, and my throat was parched as I listened to him speak; even though we were vastly different, the love we both shared for Daphne was apparently something that would always resonate with us both.

Now he turned his gaze towards me and Daphne, and he watched as we both trembled in each other's arms. "I'm truly sorry now for what I've done to you both," he said, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the gun even harder. "And I'm even more sorry that I had to kill my own girlfriend to realize that she was right, and that I had taken things too far. There's nothing else for me to do now; I deserve to die the same death I subjected her to just moments ago. Good bye forever, now!"

"WAIT!" I screamed, but my cry was eclipsed by the sound of a gunshot. Daphne pulled my face into her shoulders, willing me not to look, and I could feel her burrow her face into my neck as she turned away and began to sob again. Even though we had watched versions of ourselves die way too many times over these past few weeks, and although I knew she was right in suggesting I look away, I couldn't help withdrawing myself from the safety of Daphne's embrace to catch one final glance at the two people who had kidnapped us and changed our lives forever. When I saw the multiverse Fred slumped over on top of the multiverse Daphne and the river of blood already flowing across the gym floor, I leaned over and vomited onto the gym floor, my body heaving and rejecting every emotion and experience bottled up inside of me, until I was hollowed out and numb. The gang said nothing as my body purged itself, but when I was done we all stood together and quietly stared at the multiverse Daphne and Fred, so silent and motionless before us.

And just as quickly as it had started, this whole nightmare was over.

* * *

The following few weeks slipped by in a blur, and whenever I try to reflect on that time, I struggle to dredge up specific details. They say that trauma can do that to you; trauma makes the memories blurry and soft around the edges, trauma forces your brain into survival mode and boxes away specific memories and stores those emotions in the recesses of your mind, safely away from your reach, in order to protect you. I do remember that the police were there minutes after Fred shot himself, although I don't remember which one of us called them nor what we said to them once they arrived. I don't remember how the town buried or disposed of the multiverse Fred and Daphne's bodies, but I do remember the sterile white sheet the cops draped over their bloody and destroyed bodies. I do remember that the school was closed for a week to quietly clean and disinfect the gym, and all I did during that week was sleep, and when I wasn't sleeping I was with Daphne, and when we were together we curled around each other and all we did was sleep, ensconced in her sheets and saying nothing whenever we woke in each other's arms, and usually when we woke one or both of us was drenched in sweat and had just come out of a nightmare involving the multiverse. Occasionally we were physically intimate, which was something I had wondered would ever happen again since our first experience in the multiverse, and these moments were usually brought about after both of us were particularly haunted by a nightmare and needed to feel reassured by the other person's presence and safety. Whenever we had sex it was always fueled by a ravenous hunger and a desire for physical and emotional closeness and security, and those minutes when we were together were when I felt safest and happiest, which was something I thought the multiverse had taken from me forever.

Velma burned the box immediately after the entire incident, and even now, weeks later, she attempts to apologize to both of us profusely, even though we have both told her that none of this was her fault. I know she gave a public announcement recanting the box and the sprawling multiverse contained inside the box, which was previously viewed as a wild success by Coolsville, but once the story got out people were mortified and called for the box's destruction, which Velma happily obliged. I worried that this incident would somehow jeopardize her ivy league school scholarship, but the school informed her that the apology was enough, and instead it was determined that the box was going to be utilized as an example of the importance of inventing ethical products for present and future scientists.

My parents, while mortified to learn that they had been living with someone who wasn't truly their son, were also extremely relieved and grateful to have me home, and they respected my excessive need to sleep and process everything I had just gone through. There were some days when I would wake up to find my mom sitting at the edge of my bed, staring at me with tears in her eyes, and it always formed a lump in my throat. Even my father was trying harder around me, and he sat me down and told me he was sorry that I had felt as though I had disappointed him. When both of my parents informed that even though I wasn't going to college they could never be disappointed in me, I felt something break open in my chest, and I cried openly in front of them for the first time in years. Even though the multiverse had damaged me in so many ways, it had at least served to rectify the relationship I had with my parents.

And the multiverse had reinforced the relationship I had with my friends and Daphne, as well. Even though we took a break from solving mysteries for the first couple weeks, we silently agreed that getting back into our routine was the right and necessary thing to do, and I couldn't help but remember the multiverse Daphne and Fred, who had given so much for that chance to solve mysteries with their friends one more time. If the multiverse had shown me anything, it was that I couldn't take any time I spent with my friends for granted, and that I had to live in the moment and enjoy the world and the life I had been fortunate enough to receive right here and right now.

The desire to enjoy every second with the gang was underscored by the fact that we were now rapidly approaching graduation. Daphne had accepted the offer from her dream school, and Shaggy and Scooby were bound for culinary school while Velma was preparing for her ivy league scholarship. Even though this all would have induced panic and stress for me before the multiverse, I was now truly at peace watching my friends plan for their futures, even though I knew that I was going to remain in Coolsville while my friends and girlfriend met new people, and our mystery solving days would be suspended, at least temporarily. I made sure to smile beatifically and genuinely whenever they discussed college and their excitement to live in a dorms, and I even asked them questions to ensure that they knew I was so proud to be their friend and that I was so proud of their accomplishments, but I think Daphne sometimes worried about me; whenever we were eating dinner at Sherry's Diner after a mystery or we were driving towards another case in the Mystery Machine, I would catch her gazing at me out of the corner of my eye, her eyebrows knit together and her forehead furrowed with concern, and her eyes clouded as though she was deep in thought. Whenever I tried to ask her about it she would blink and catch herself, and ensure everyone that everything was fine, but I couldn't help but wonder what was on her mind.

And now with just a little over a month left before graduation her and I were tangled together in her bed, watching Netflix on the television that was anchored to her wall. Whenever we weren't solving mysteries with the gang her and I were almost always together; since we had been through the multiverse together it felt natural to be with someone who could relate to the sudden and unannounced panic attacks both of us were starting to suffer, and whenever one of us was feeling unexplainably sad, the other intrinsically knew it was best just to lay together and cry it out or wallow in our favorite TV shows. It had always been easy being around Daphne, but now that we had this trauma and experience in common, being around her became even more effortless. There was also this part of me that couldn't help but flashback to the moments after the multiverse Daphne's death, and whenever I recalled the unexplainable grief that filled me after I had mistakenly thought that my Daphne was dead, my heart wouldn't stop racing and the lump in my throat didn't go away unless I was holding her in my arms and inhaling her apricot scented hair, and being around her constantly ensured that I would always have this reassurance.

One of those moments was actually binding my heart right now, and instead of watching the show on her screen, I was holding Daphne and reaffirming myself that, yes, she was safe, and yes, she was lying beside me right now. I had thought that I was being inconspicuous in my thoughts because it appeared that Daphne had been watching the screen, but a second later she picked up the remote and clicked the television off.

I arched my eyebrow as I stared at her with a question in my eyes, but I didn't say anything, and instead I opted to brush a lock of her hair behind her ear as she shifted to face me.

Daphne took my hand in her's and smiled at me. "Freddy," she began. "There's something I need to talk to you about."

I felt my heart gallop in my chest; even though I was comfortable and secure in our relationship, everyone knows that "we need to talk" is never usually a good thing. She must have sensed my discomfort, because she quickly placed her hand over my heart and said, "It isn't what you think! It's about college."

I felt my muscles relax and I echoed curiously, "College? What about college?"

Daphne ran her fingers through my hair and smiled at me, a tinge of emotion buried beneath her smile.

"It's something I've been thinking ever since we've been trapped in the multiverse," she began. "Freddy, being in the multiverse and confronting the other Fred and Daphne showed me that mystery solving is in my blood; no matter what happens, solving mysteries and being with you guys is the one constant in my life, and I never want to let that go. Obviously I have other dreams of going to college, as well, but I have a solution of sorts, and I really want you to hear me out."

She paused to see if I would respond, and her midnight eyes reflected a mix of different emotions, but I simply nodded as a means of encouraging her, compelled to hear what she had to say. "Okay, let's hear it then," I said.

Daphne ran her fingers through my hair and smiled at me. "Freddy, I really want you to go to college with me," she said. "I just called my school, and they said I can do most of my classes online, so I only have to go to a few classes at the actual campus itself throughout my entire four years of studying there. I was going to move into the dorms, but I'm not so sure if I'm open to the idea of sleeping in the same room as a stranger; after all, if solving mysteries has taught me anything, it's that anyone can potentially to be a monster in disguise."

My mind was reeling as I processed everything she was suggesting.

"Daphne," I began, placing my hand over her's. "I love that you want me to go with you, but I'm not so sure that's a good idea. I don't want to hold you back while you go to school, and I don't want you to be worried about us; I feel secure with our relationship, and you know I'll be here every break and every weekend you visit."

"I knew you might want to say that, Freddy, but hear me out," Daphne said. "Like I said, being in the multiverse showed me that I don't want to end up living with regret, like the Fred and Daphne who kidnapped us. I want to be able to say I lived my life to the fullest, and that I felt content with every choice that I made. I know that if I go off to college, I will have to give up not only you, but mystery solving, as well. And I know you wouldn't want me to give up my dream of pursuing a journalism degree, so what if I suggested we do both?"

I shook my head, biting the inside of my mouth to stop from smiling in case I was incorrect as to where she was going with this. "I'm not sure I follow," I said."

Daphne clasped both of my hands in her's and said in a rush, "I want you to move out there with me and stay with me somewhere. I think that no matter where we go, there will be monsters and mysteries to solve. What if you moved out there with me while I studied and took online classes, and we started our own mystery solving business while we lived out there? It would be the best solution for us both; we would still be together, and I would be able to study and solve mysteries. You would still be solving mysteries, and you'll be out of Coolsville, like the rest of us. And then, after Shaggy and Velma and I graduate, if everyone else is interested in getting back together, we can reform Mystery Incorporated and go from there."

I blinked, trying to drive away the tears pricking at my eyes; I was overwhelmed by Daphne's selfless desire to accommodate her school plans just so she could include me and make sure we could still keep solving mysteries.

"Daphne," I asked quietly. "I can't ask you to give that up for me – that's too much."

"No it isn't, Freddy!" Daphne replied adamantly. "Again, all I'm giving up is the experience of staying on the dorm. I would still go to school full time and I would still move to college, but it would be with you, in our own apartment near the school, and best of all, we would solve mysteries while we lived out there. Honestly, this is something I've wanted ever since we said good-bye for the second time to the Crystal Cove multiverse gang, and you showed me what you had written in the notebook before we got home. When you wrote that home was more than just a place and that it was possible to be home when you were with someone else, and that you realized I was your home, I realized that I felt the same way, and I don't want to lose that, ever. I don't want to give up solving mysteries, and I really don't want to end up feeling regretful like the multiverse Daphne and Fred. So Freddy, I'm going to ask you just one more time; would you be willing to move with me and solve mysteries with me while I study at college?"

I could feel myself beaming as I wrapped my arms around Daphne and pulled her close, and I kissed her softly on the forehead. "Daphne Blake, are you suggesting that we move in together?" I asked, winking in a suggestive and playful manner. "Because it sounds like you're asking me to take this relationship to the next level."

Daphne's face turned several shades of red, and I burst out laughing. "Well, if you're worried it's too fast, then I understand, but –"

"Baby, I'm kidding around with you," I said as I kissed her nose playfully, but then I felt myself growing serious as I considered what she had suggested and reflected on everything that had happened to us over the past few weeks. We had gone from stumbling around in the multiverse and feeling as though we had no future to rebuilding and intertwining our lives together. When I thought back to the shy boy who could hardly muster up the courage to ask her to dance in the school gym four years ago, I couldn't help but think of how he would be grinning and shaking his head incredulously to hear Daphne Blake ask him to move out of the house and move into their own apartment together.

In one fluid movement I climbed myself on top of Daphne as she squealed and laughed, and I kissed her face and her neck and tickled her, relishing the sound of her laugh and the taste of her lips.

"My answer is yes," I finally replied, smiling at her as I held her in my arms. "Yes, I'll move in with you and solve mysteries with you and help you study for tests and make sure I'm there to support you in any way you may need it. I love you, Daphne."

Daphne circled her hands around my neck and brought me in close against her and kissed me then, and as I lost myself in the kiss, I couldn't believe how lucky I was. I was finally back home, I was finally safe, and I was finally reunited with my friends. Even though Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby were going to school soon and I would miss them, I was still going to solve mysteries, and I was going to fall sleep and wake up next to the love of my life every day as we solved mysteries together and lived our lives together. The multiverse may have been traumatic, and I may have seen some things I would take a while to heal and recover from, but it had taught us so much, too. I had learned to appreciate every second with my friends, and I had finally realized that, yes, I wasn't a perfect leader, but that was because no such leader existed; I was human and therefore full of flaws, and I would always be a good enough leader for my friends, who knew that I would sacrifice everything to keep them safe. My girlfriend knew of and loved all of those flaws, and now we were about to write a new chapter in our lives together, and I couldn't wait to see what the future held in store for us as we took our relationship to the next step. My parents were finally at peace with my decision to solve mysteries and not attend college, and I knew that they would support me no matter what I did. But best of all, Daphne and I were home again, and we never had to endure the horrors we had seen ever again.

And there was no other life, and no other world, that I would rather be living in than the one I had right now.

**THE END**


End file.
